Bulls' Lonzo Ball Reveals Massive Injury Update Just Before Playoffs

During what was supposed to be his comeback season, Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball has spent more time riding pine than playing with a new injury.

Ball had been on the shelf for a whopping 33 months while undergoing three separate surgeries to address a left knee meniscus tear.

The fact that he was able to return at all to an NBA game, let alone play meaningful minutes and still look relatively athlete, was a win in and of itself.

Unfortunately, this fresh ailment has afflicted him for the majority of his 2024-25 run.

Per Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune, the 6-foot-6 UCLA product continues to recuperate from a right wrist sprain he initially suffered during a 126-123 Oct. 28 victory against the Memphis Grizzlies.

In that game, Ball scored six points on 2-of-4 shooting from the field, all triple tries, while dishing out six dimes, grabbing one rebound and blocking a shot in 17:59 of action.

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Ball apparently just barely was able to steer clear of a Grade 3 wrist sprain, per Poe. That ailment would have mandated a season-ending surgery. The 27-year-old initially sat out 15 games, although the wrist was still not quite back to normal.

In Feb., Ball exacerbated the injury following a relatively stable two months back in action.

Poe notes that Ball needs at least one more week before he can return to the hardwood (meaning he won't play against his hometown Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday), he was able to join his Bulls comrades during a Wednesday practice at Chicago's Advocate Center. Ball even partook in some 5-of-5 scrimmaging.

"I'm happy to be back out there," Ball said. "I just want to get a little bit more comfortable, want to get back into the playing rhythm. I've been out, I don't want to come back too early and just do something that doesn't need to be done."

Per Poe, Ball wants to be back on the floor before the start of the postseason this spring. He will continue to deal with pain in the wrist all year, Poe notes.

Sporting a mediocre 32-40 record, the Bulls are currently the No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference, 2.5 games behind the No. 8-seeded Orlando Magic (35-38) and three games behind the No. 7-seeded Atlanta Hawks (35-37).

Given that the Bulls are 6.5 games clear of the No. 11-seeded Toronto Raptors, who seem to be in full-on tank mode, it seems likely that Chicago will at the very least be able to participate in a play-in tournament game.

"We're in a pretty good spot right now at ninth," Ball said. "We're gearing up to be in the play-in. We know we got to win two games. That's the goal for us right now. That's why I'm just trying to get as healthy as possible before that happens and do what I can to help the team."

Earlier this season, Ball inked a two-year, $20 million contract extension that will keep him in town through 2026-27.

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The Bulls have gone 8-2 across their last 10 games, including winning the last three straight. Ball has missed Chicago's last 12.

With Bulls sixth man combo guard Ayo Dosunmu — one of the club's other top perimeter defenders — out for the season due to a left shoulder surgery, Ball's return can't arrive soon enough.

Across 35 healthy contests this year for Chicago, Ball is averaging 7.6 points on .366/.344/.815 shooting splits, 3.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.5 blocks a night, while playing 22.2 minutes per.

Ball had been on a fairly strict minutes limit during his first games back in action, and now that he's working his way back from this wrist injury while still experiencing pain, it's likely Chicago will continue to impose some kind of restriction going forward this year.

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