Current:Home > MyLonzo Ball makes triumphant return for first NBA game since Jan. 2022-LoTradeCoin
Lonzo Ball makes triumphant return for first NBA game since Jan. 2022
View Date:2024-12-23 21:15:48
Checking in for an NBA preseason game for the first time in 2 1/2 years, Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball received a standing ovation from the United Center crowd Wednesday night as he completed his comeback from extensive knee problems.
Ball began having issues with chronic soreness in his left knee during the 2021-22 season. Three surgeries and countless hours of rehab later, he took the court midway through the first quarter and hit his first shot − a 3-pointer from the left corner.
In 15 minutes of game action, Ball finished with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting in Chicago's 125-123 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Ball said afterward he wasn't thinking about his knee as he returned to game action for the first time in 1,006 days.
“That’s a positive thing,” he said. “I didn’t feel it at all. I felt like I was moving great. So now it’s just about building. Just continue to do it night in and night out.”
All things Bulls: Latest Chicago Bulls news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.
Ball's return capped one of the more amazing comebacks in NBA history. He was averaging 13 points and 5.1 assists during his first season with the Bulls when he was sidelined by pain in his knee, making his last appearance on Jan. 14, 2022.
He underwent three different surgeries, the last one a cartilage transplant in March 2023 in an attempt to save his career.
In recognition of everything he went through to return, his Bulls teammates celebrated Ball's return by giving him a game ball.
"I had a goal to get back on the court,” Ball said. “And I knew it was a long journey, a long process. But it all paid off because this is what I was looking forward to. I’m just glad it’s here now and I can finally go out and do what I love to do.”
veryGood! (96)
Related
- Jerry Jones lashes out at question about sun's glare at AT&T Stadium after Cowboys' loss
- Southern Mississippi defensive back Marcus “MJ” Daniels Jr. shot to death in Hattiesburg
- Arizona man sold firearms to undercover FBI agent for mass shooting, indictment says
- Republican candidates for Utah’s open US House seat split on aid for Ukraine
- World leaders aim to shape Earth's future at COP29 climate change summit
- US wholesale prices dropped in May, adding to evidence that inflation pressures are cooling
- 11 players you need to know for Euro 2024, from Mbappé to Kvaratskhelia
- Hulk Hogan launches 'Real American Beer' lager brand in 4 states with 13 more planned
- Tampa Bay Rays' Wander Franco arrested again in Dominican Republic, according to reports
- See the Brat Pack Then and Now, 39 Years After the Label Changed Their Lives Forever
Ranking
- Beyoncé nominated for album of the year at Grammys — again. Will she finally win?
- From $150 to $4.3 million: How record-high US Open winner's purse has changed since 1895
- Beyond the logo: Driven by losses, Jerry West's NBA legacy will last forever
- High school president writes notes thanking fellow seniors — 180 of them
- Old Navy's Early Black Friday Deals Start at $1.97 -- Get Holiday-Ready Sweaters, Skirts, Puffers & More
- Fed holds interest rates steady, lowers forecast to just one cut in 2024 amid high inflation
- Social Security COLA estimate dips, but seniors remain in a hole. Here's why.
- Hailey Bieber's Update About Her Latest Pregnancy Struggle Is So Relatable
Recommendation
-
Golden Bachelorette: Joan Vassos Gets Engaged During Season Finale
-
U.S. offers millions in rewards targeting migrant smugglers in Darién Gap
-
Man convicted in killings of 8 from another Ohio family seeks new trial
-
Will the Roman Catholic Church ever welcome LGBTQ+ people? | The Excerpt
-
Why have wildfires been erupting across the East Coast this fall?
-
Runner-up criticizes Nevada GOP Senate nominee Sam Brown while other former rivals back him
-
Impaired driver who fatally struck 2 Nevada state troopers gets maximum prison sentence
-
2 to vie in November to become Las Vegas mayor and succeed Goodman duo dating to 1999