NBA star plays first game in almost three years after three surgeries

CHICAGO — After missing the last two or more NBA seasons due to knee injuries, Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball returned Wednesday for his first game since January 2022.

Ball scored 10 points with a rebound, an assist, a steal and a block to help the Bulls to a 125-123 preseason victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves at the United Center in Chicago.

Ball received a standing ovation from Bulls fans when he entered the game at 6:08 of the first quarter. About 44 seconds into the game, he drained a corner 3-pointer, earning another ovation from the home crowd.

The 6-foot-3 point guard was limited to 15 minutes in his first game back, but said afterward that it “felt a lot better playing than watching.”

“(I) can't really put into words how it felt to be out there,” Ball said. “I'm just blessed… Just seeing the crowd and all the love that I get from the city, that can cannot be reproduced in any way.”

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Ball, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers, has undergone three arthroscopic procedures on his left knee since suffering the injury in his first season with the Bulls on Jan. 14, 2022. The third of these surgeries was a rare double cartilage transplant in March 2023, for which doctors told him he would need an 18-month recovery period.

“Long. Really long,” Ball said of his recovery process. “But looking back, it happened a lot quicker than I thought. … They tell me I have 18 more months to recover, that sounds crazy right now, but here I am here. It's all behind me now.

“It’s not the same body I started with. But I think I can still be productive and effective on the pitch. That’s why I’m still trying to play.”

Before his knee injury, Ball averaged 13 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 35 games for the Bulls in his first season with the Bulls since joining him from the New Orleans Pelicans. The five-year NBA veteran previously played two seasons with the Pelicans and his first two seasons with the Lakers.

After the Bulls' win on Wednesday, Ball was awarded the game ball by his teammates.

“Today was going to be a special day regardless of the result,” Bulls guard Coby White said before handing the game ball to Ball. “Back up, man. It is a blessing to be a part of his journey. Many of us have been through it all and seen the ups and downs. It was a hell of a night for him.”

“I respect you more than anything because of what you’ve been through,” Bulls guard Zach LaVine added. “We love you, we care for you, I’m happy to see you again.”

Ball also noted that he didn't think about his knee during his first NBA game in more than 1,000 days.

“That's a positive thing,” Ball said. “I didn't feel it at all. I felt like I was moving great. So now it’s just about building, just keep going night after night.”

The Bulls play their final preseason game Friday against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the United Center before the team opens the regular season at the Pelicans on Oct. 23.