Video: Bulls' Lonzo Ball Says He Got New Meniscus from Donor amid Knee Injury

After missing the past two seasons due to knee injuries, Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball provided a positive update on his recovery Friday.

Speaking on his podcast, The WAE Show, Ball said he had torn his meniscus so many times during his career that he had no meniscus or cartilage left in his knee:

As a result, Ball received a donor meniscus, underwent a bone allograft and had new cartilage put into his knee. Ball noted that he is "healed up and now back on the court," creating hope that he could finally return to game action for the 2024-25 season.

After one highly productive season at UCLA, Ball entered the NBA with a ton of fanfare surrounding him as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft.

Ball spent two seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers and was named to the 2017-18 NBA All-Rookie Second Team, but L.A. traded him to the New Orleans Pelicans in 2019 as part of the deal for superstar big man Anthony Davis.

He played the next two seasons in New Orleans and enjoyed the best year of his career in 2020-21, setting new career highs with 14.6 points and 3.1 three-pointers made per game, while also averaging 5.7 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals.

That production was enough to earn him a four-year, $80 million contract with the Bulls in free agency.

Thus far, the signing has been a bust for Chicago since Ball's knee ailments have only allowed him to appear in 35 games for the team.

Ball played well in those 35 games during the 2021-22 season, averaging 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 3.1 three-pointers made and 1.8 steals, while shooting a career-best 42.3 percent from the field and 42.3 percent from beyond the arc.

Not surprisingly, Ball has exercised his player option for the 2024-25 season. It was a no-brainer move for 26-year-old guard since he likely would have had to settle for a low-dollar, prove-it deal in free agency given his injury history.

There are many question marks surrounding the Bulls and how their roster will look next season after they went 39-43 and missed the playoffs for a second consecutive year in 2023-24.

Veteran wing DeMar DeRozan is set to hit free agency, and while two-time All-Star Zach LaVine is under contract, he was the subject of trade rumors throughout this season prior to suffering a season-ending injury, so he could conceivably be on the move.

If Ball is healthy enough to play next season, he will have to battle Alex Caruso, Ayo Dosunmu and Coby White for playing time in the Chicago backcourt.

All of them had career years statistically in 2023-24, including White, who finished second in Most Improved Player voting after averaging 19.1 points per game.

Consistent playing time may not be easy to come by for Ball as a result, but if he can return to the form he displayed prior to getting injured, Ball can be a useful contributor as a playmaker, defender and three-point shooter.