22 August 2023 , 12:46
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NBA star Lonzo Ball confirmed he will miss the entirety of next season as his knee continues to give him problems.
After being selected as the second overall pick in the 2017 draft, big things were expected from the former UCLA player. But throughout the majority of his NBA career, the point guard has been beset with injury and he has not played since January 2022.
During an appearance on the "From the Point by Trae Young" podcast hosted by the Atlanta Hawks player, the Chicago Bulls player opened up on the heartbreak of being unable to play and the impact his absence has had on the team. "I feel bad just for the GM's, because I feel like they made the perfect team around me," Ball said.
"I finally got the perfect team that I felt could fit my game and play my way, and really just do what I wanted to do. That injury, I'm still going through it right now, but that one messed me up early just because I felt like we really had a chance, and we never got to see what it really was."
Since his last game, Ball has undergone three left knee surgeries for a cartilage transplant, a torn meniscus repair and arthroscopic debridement respectively. He played just 35 games in the 2021/22 season before missing out on all of the 2022/23 campaign.
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There have been fears that Ball's injuries may force him into an early retirement. But after his most recent procedure, Ball is feeling more optimistic regarding his recovery and being able to enjoy playing the sport he loves once again.
"When I first got hurt, we didn't really know what it was," Ball said during the podcast. "I was seeing all type of different doctors and stuff. I was just kind of going up and down. That was really hard for me because I just didn't know what the next day was going to be like.
Ball has not played an NBA game since January 2022 (Quinn Harris/Getty Images)"At least now, I got the surgery. We got a plan moving forward. We've been on plan. I'm on track. Hopefully, everything works out. I just leave it up to God and do the best I can and live with the results." He added: “I've always loved playing basketball, it's just basically something that got taken away from me.
"It's gonna be a whole new joy again. I'm gonna be hella happy to be back out there. I never took the game for granted, so for me, it's just getting your love back."
The Bulls were the top seed in the Eastern Conference when Ball got hurt having started that season 27-13. In his absence, the Bulls only managed a 40-42 last season and were eliminated from the Play-In tournament by the Miami Heat.