By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Lonzo Ball will likely miss all of next season. The Chicago Bulls guard is set to undergo a third surgery on his left knee, which has already kept him out for more than a year. He’s expected to miss most, if not all, of the 2023-24 season recovering, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball will undergo a third surgery on his left knee that is expected to cost him most, if not all, of the 2023-24 season. The Bulls confirmed that Ball will undergo a cartilage transplant in his knee, but did not provide a timeline for his return.
While that’s an incredibly long time away from the game — he will be pushing three full years between games — Ball and the Bulls are reportedly optimistic that the third surgery will be what it takes to finally fix his knee.
Ball was already ruled out for the rest of this season due to his meniscus injury. He hasn’t played since Jan. 14, 2022, and has already undergone a pair of surgeries. He reportedly couldn’t run or jump after his most recent one in September, however, and his rehab hasn’t gone as expected.
Ball has been contemplating the third surgery in recent weeks. The team initially expected the surgery would keep Ball out for only six months, which could have had him back on the court in time for the start of next season. Based on Charania’s timeline, he may not take the court again until the start of the 2024-25 season.
If that’s the case, Ball will miss about 33 months of action.