The Chicago Bulls made huge moves in 2021 to spur the franchise back into the playoffs after having missed the postseason since 2017. Their biggest add was DeMar DeRozan, but it was the addition of 24-year old point guard Lonzo Ball that excited many fans, as Ball’s future as a do-it all defensive oriented sharpshooting point guard was blindingly bright. However, Ball’s injuries have reared their ugly head once more, and he is likely to miss the rest of the 2022-23 season after revealing that he “can’t run or jump“, much less play basketball.
Bulls and NBA fans on Twitter bonded over their grief towards Lonzo Ball’s worrying condition, with many expressing immense heartbreak over seeing a player as entertaining to watch as Ball be denied to do the thing he loves the most.
this lonzo situation really sucks
— J. Kyle Mann (@jkylemann) September 27, 2022
Lonzo news got me sick
— Mick (@mickjenkins) September 27, 2022
Lonzo Ball’s knee problems began back in January, after he suffered a bone bruise and a meniscus tear on his left knee. The initial prognosis was for Ball to miss only 6-8 weeks, but clearly, something’s gone quite amiss during Ball’s recovery process.
Head coach Billy Donovan appears to be ringing the alarm bells as well, after he mentioned that the Bulls will be operating under the assumption that Ball would miss the rest of the season. Many fans hope that this is not the beginning of the end for Ball’s career, as many greats who have come before him have succumbed to chronic knee problems.
After 8 months of saying there has never been an encouraging Lonzo Ball injury update …. somehow they are only getting worse.https://t.co/ivrnHIx0nF
— Ricky O’Donnell (@SBN_Ricky) September 27, 2022
I’m getting very fearful that Lonzo has something degenerative in his knee. If this injury is affecting his mobility in activities of daily living, let alone basketball play, that’s a huge red flag. Praying this ain’t some kind of Oden/Roy situation.
— Richard Staple, BSN, RN🇯🇲 (@RichStapless) September 27, 2022
It is a hard pill to swallow for Bulls fans to see Ball, who signed a four year, $80 million deal last offseason in a sign and trade with the New Orleans Pelicans, to miss a sizable chunk of his career, especially after seeing him average an impressive 13 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists per game on 42 percent shooting from beyond the arc last season.
The Lonzo knee situation messed up man he was just finding his groove as a shooter last year 🤦🏽♂️
— PeeWeeDaPlug (@PeeWeeDaPlug) September 27, 2022
I feel bad for Lonzo Ball. His career path went through all the windy roads to becoming an established 3&D guard only to suffer from what seems to be a chronic knee injury.
No Bball since January is tough. I wish him a speedy recovery 🙏 https://t.co/FiSIHh7dCo
— The Front Office (@NBASkoolOfThort) September 28, 2022
Some things are bigger than basketball, and Lonzo Ball’s injury is one of them. His knee troubles have even prevented him from functioning as he always had, having troubles walking through stairs for example, and hopefully the surgery he’s set to go through allows him to make a full recovery.
Lonzo Ball says walking up stairs is painful for him. His knee issues are affecting him in everyday life, not just from a basketball perspective.
— Cody Westerlund (@CodyWesterlund) September 27, 2022
The Bulls organization will be wise to allow Lonzo Ball to take as much time as he needs, not only to protect their investment in him as a player, but also to protect him as a person.
Lonzo Ball is one of the most fun and unique players in the NBA and looked genuinely happy playing for the Bulls last year. This must be devastating for him. I just want Lonzo to get healthy again; the Bulls should not rush him back, damn the basketball consequences.
— Kris Amundsen (@klahoops) September 27, 2022
