Bulls Doctor Told Lonzo Ball He Might Never Play Basketball Again

Sports can be home to some of the greatest stories of triumph, but also some of the biggest tragedies. Unfortunately, some time ago, Lonzo Ball was heading towards the latter. Injuries had halted Ball’s ascension into one of the best point guards in the NBA. He has since returned to action, but revealed there was a time the thought of playing basketball again was in serious jeopardy.

For the first few seasons of Lonzo Ball’s career, he dealt with nagging injuries here or there. Regardless, there was nothing to be too wary of. The 2021-22 season featured arguably the best version of Ball, which was also his first year with the Chicago Bulls. The team was the top seed in the Eastern Conference, while looking like a legitimate threat to make some noise.

But everything would come crashing down on January 14, 2022. In a game against the Golden State Warriors, Ball would suffer a meniscus tear in his left knee. Although unfortunate, a meniscus tear isn’t something new to sports science. However, Ball’s situation was quite different.

The 6-foot-6 guard would go on to suffer a bone bruise due to the lack of a meniscus protecting the bones in his knees from impacting each other. Shortly after, Ball couldn’t run or jump due to the swelling and pain in his knee. The recovery process required two full seasons away from basketball.

Doctors worked around the clock to figure out a solution. One of the Bulls’ team doctors even went so far as to prepare Ball for the worst.

“I had a lot of people telling me I wasn’t going to play again,” Ball said on The Stephen A. Smith Show. “Shoutout Dr. Cole … He was real with me. He was like, ‘It’s pretty much a 30-40% chance that it might work. If this doesn’t work, it’s over.'”

Ball may have had faith that he would one day return to an NBA court, but those words would strike some level of fear in anyone. Dr. Cole carried out a cartilage transplant in Ball’s left knee. The procedure was very delicate but turned out to be a success.

“I really give a lot of thanks to him, and the family I got the knee from. A lot of things came together to get me back on the court today. I feel like I still have a lot to give to the league,” Ball said.

Lonzo returned to the court ahead of the 2024-25 season and hasn’t looked back since. This past offseason, the Bulls traded Ball to the Cleveland Cavaliers, giving the point guard the opportunity to compete for a championship. Ball’s career is a great testament to resilience, but he has no intention of letting his story finish here.