Bulls' Lonzo Ball Says 'I'm Going to Play Again' amid Knee Injury Recovery

Chicago Bulls star Lonzo Ball remains committed to returning to NBA court after persistent knee trouble has brought his career to a halt.

"I'm going to play again," he said Saturday, per The Athletic's Darnell Mayberry. "... For me, I know what I've got to do to get back. And I'm just on the path of doing what I've got to do every day. Taking it step by step. I don't look too far ahead. I know in my near future that I will be back on the court, for sure."

Ball confirmed to Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young he'll miss the entire 2023-24 season, which was the expectation when he had a third surgery on his left knee in March.

Instead, the focus is on getting the 25-year-old back to a point where he can simply play again.

The 6'6" playmaker recently had to dispel a report from ESPN's Stephen A. Smith that he was struggling to stand up from a seated position.

Ball's injury situation is all the more frustrating because he was thriving early on with Chicago, which looked like a serious contender in the Eastern Conference. He averaged 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists in his first 35 appearances, and the Bulls had the best record in the East.

"It's gonna be a big what-if for me," he told Young of how things have unfolded. "I feel bad just for the GMs because I feel like they made the perfect team around me and I felt like that was the most I've ever been involved in an organization.

"I finally got the perfect team that I felt like could fit my game and play my way."

The peak version of Ball who was a dynamic two-way contributor is probably never coming back. With any luck, he can at least still be an impactful piece of Chicago's backcourt down the road.