Video: Bulls' Lonzo Ball Says He's Been Cleared for 5-on-5 amid Knee Injury Rehab

Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball revealed that he's progressing in his recovery from a knee injury and will be participating in 5-on-5 basketball soon.

"My first real test, I feel like, will be this August when I play 5-on-5 for the first time," Ball said on his podcast, What an Experience.

"But it's so far so good, everything has been going well," he added.

Ball's knee issues have prevented him from playing in an NBA game since Jan. 2022.

The 26-year-old underwent multiple surgeries on his knee, revealing in May that his meniscus had been torn enough times throughout his career that he received a donor meniscus and underwent a bone allograft to have new cartilage put into his knee.

Excitement surrounded Ball during his college days at UCLA, excelling with the Bruins and becoming the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft. While he never developed into an All-Star, he thrived on defense and honed his playmaking abilities to become an effective lead guard.

He averaged 13.0 points, 5.1 assists, and 1.8 steals per game on 42.3/42.3/75.0 shooting splits in his last season with the Bulls. Despite losing to the Golden State Warriors in his final appearance on Jan. 14, Chicago owned a 27-13 record at the time. The Bulls would go just 19-23 the rest of the way, falling to the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs.

While Chicago likely won't be competing for a playoff spot next season following the departures of DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso over the summer, Ball's potential return to the court would still be a welcome sight.

Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic reported on June 4 that the point guard may not be back in time for opening night, although there's an expectation that he'll play at some point during the 2024-25 season.

If his upcoming 5-on-5 work goes smoothly, he'll be one step closer to suiting up in an NBA game once again.