Lonzo Ball Says Surgery on Knee Injury Was 'Last Option' on 'Ball in the Family'

The most recent edition of Ball in the Family provided some insight into the decision-making process that led to Los Angeles Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball undergoing surgery on his knee in July.

"I got hurt a couple of times during the season, and then after the season I decided to get a shot and try to take care of it that way," Ball said (h/t Lonzo Wire's Christian Rivas). "That didn't work, so the last option is surgery."

The Lakers announced in July that Ball was having surgery but that the recovery not expected to linger into the start of the team's training camp.

Shams Charania reported for Yahoo Sports in June that Ball suffered a torn left meniscus. The 20-year-old had missed the final eight games of the 2017-18 season.

Ball in the Family shared an exchange between Ball and his father, LaVar, in which he explained how he opted for a procedure in which doctors removed part of his meniscus because it would mean a quicker return to full health: "They've got to take it out. They said they could repair it, but it would take me six months to get back. But if they just take it out, it will only be six weeks."

Ball's surgery added to what was an eventful summer for the Lakers. The team signed LeBron James, setting off a flurry of veteran additions that included JaVale McGee, Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson and Michael Beasley.

During an appearance on SportsCenter in July, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski described the Rondo signing in particular as a "message" to Ball. Wojnarowski added that some inside the Lakers believed members of Ball's camp may have leaked word of his knee injury in order to depress his trade market in the summer.