DeMar DeRozan Supports Lonzo Ball Calling Out Stephen A. Smith for ‘Hard to Stand’ Comments

During the summer break, fans like to keep track of their favorite players’ activities before the season starts. After a disappointing campaign last season, Lonzo Ball had decided to go off the grid. However, earlier this week, Ball finally made an appearance on Trae Young’s From The Point podcast. There have been numerous claims regarding the Chicago Bulls Point Guard’s injuries, with several pundits expressing doubts about his return to normalcy. Recently, Stephen A Smith received a call out from Lonzo Ball for spreading false rumors after the ESPN commentator had made a comment about the Bulls star’s health condition. Coming in to support his teammate, DeMar DeRozan backed Zo for calling out Smith.

Lonzo Ball is one of the more dynamic players in the league. Despite displaying a lot of promise in the past five seasons, the two-way guard has had an injury-riddled career. After missing more than 100 games in his first four campaigns, the former UCLA Bruin suffered a massive blow in January 2022. Sustaining a left meniscus tear, Ball was able to suit up for only 35 of the Bulls’ 82 games in the 2022-2023 season. On Trae Young’s podcast, the 25-year-old recently disclosed that he would also be missing the entirety of the 2023-2024 campaign.

DeMar DeRozan supports Lonzo Ball as he calls out Stephen A. Smith

Stephen A Smith has been one of the most influential figures in the sports media industry for quite some time now. The ESPN analyst recently claimed that Lonzo Ball was having a tough time dealing with his mobility following his injury. Stating that Zo would never be the same player again, the 55-year-old deep-dived into his injury:

“I don’t think he’ll[Lonzo] ever be the same… I’ve heard that it’s even hard for him to get up from the sitting position… I’m really, really sad for him.” 

Now, Stephen A Smith has been one of the more reliable analysts on basketball TV. However, he seemed to have missed the mark by a lot on this occasion. Immediately after Smith’s take made rounds on social media, Lonzo Ball uploaded a clip where he displayed that he clearly doesn’t have any problems getting up from a chair. While calling out the renowned analyst and his sources, the former #2 draft pick repeatedly kept sitting and getting up from a chair.

“Stephen A, who are your sources, bro? Please tell me who your sources are. Come on, man. Come on, man. You gotta stop yapping. And I actually like you, man. I don’t even know you like that, but I like you. I’m coming back, man. Come on,” Ball said.

The majority of social media users were in support of Lonzo for clapping back at SAS. DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo’s teammate, also expressed his satisfaction about the same. As seen in NBA Celeb Update’s tweet, hyping up his teammate for standing up for himself (quite literally), DeRozan commented:

“Talk your sh*t Zo!”

Given his current medical condition, Lonzo needs his teammates and coaches to support and display confidence in him now more than ever. As a true leader, Deebo, who isn’t as active on social media, did a great job in backing up his teammate.

Zo believes the Bulls created a Championship-winning roster around him

The Chicago Bulls are one of the more stacked teams in the league. With DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine leading the roster, the team also features big names like Lonzo, Nikola Vucevic, and Patrick Williams, among others.

Even though he couldn’t do much about the horrific injury he suffered, Zo feels bad that he wasn’t able to deliver a Championship to the front office. There is no doubt that the Bulls are one of the more entertaining teams in the East and could actually be favorites to emerge victorious when they’re completely healthy.