Lonzo Ball has announced that he will miss the entire 2023-24 NBA season due to knee surgery. However, Stephen A. Smith’s claim that Ball struggles to get up from a chair has been disputed after Ball posted a video demonstrating his ability to get up from a chair with ease, even using only one leg. Ball plans to return to the court in the 2024-25 season.
Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball said that he will miss the 2023-24 NBA season, but he said he feels back “on track” following a cartilage transplant in his left knee in March.
During an appearance Monday morning on the “From the Point by Trae Young” podcast hosted by the Atlanta Hawks point guard, Ball — who has not played in an NBA game since Jan. 14, 2022 — said his recovery has been a long process, but he sounded encouraged following a third surgery on his knee since his last game.
“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.
“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.”
Chicago was the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference before Ball’s injury that season, off to a 27-13 start when he injured his knee and spending most of the first half atop the conference. The team has not been able to make up for his absence, finishing 40-42 last season and losing in the play-in tournament to Miami without him.
This is the second consecutive day that Stephen A. Smith’s sources have been questioned. Stefon Diggs denied Smith’s report that he wanted to be traded.
ICYMI: Stephen A. Smith said "I've heard that it's even hard for [Lonzo] to get up from the sitting position" https://t.co/maIKSocTBt pic.twitter.com/oWn06A2AHr
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) August 22, 2023