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Lonzo Ball’s injuries have made it difficult for him to play basketball, but he’s not looking to retire right now.
On the latest episode of the Ball In the Family podcast (starts 54:00 mark), Ball explained “I feel like I gave everything I had” through his first nine seasons in the NBA.
“I feel like I gave everything I had to hoop, and I feel like everything I got in my life is because of hoop. I’m grateful to even make it to the league and be able to play for nine years,” he said.
Ball went on to say he has to “manage” the pain in his knee every day and it swelled up recently when he was playing, but a mix of yoga, stretching and ice makes it “to where I can do s–t” even though it’s “still gonna hurt” and it felt like he was “playing on stilts” at times because he can’t stop quickly without aggravating it.
Ball’s comments led to speculation he may be ready to call it a career, but he confirmed in a post on X that he is still ready for his next opportunity:
The No. 2 pick in the 2017 draft by the Los Angeles Lakers, Ball began having knee issues as a rookie when he sprained his MCL midway through the season.
Ball had arthroscopic surgery to repair his meniscus in July 2018, but he was back for the start of the 2018-19 season. He played in the Lakers’ first 47 games before an ankle injury ended his sophomore campaign.
The Lakers traded Ball to the New Orleans Pelicans as part of the Anthony Davis deal. He had arguably the two best years of his career in New Orleans, averaging 13.1 points on 37.6 percent three-point shooting, 6.4 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game in 118 appearances.
Ball went to the Chicago Bulls as a free agent in a sign-and-trade deal with the Pelicans in 2021. This was when the downfall really began due to a torn meniscus early in the year that ended his season.
Knee issues persisted to the point that Ball sat out both the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, including undergoing a cartilage transplant in March 2023 because there was nothing left of his meniscus and it was “bone on bone” in his knee.
Ball returned to game action at the start of the 2024-25 season with the Bulls, but his playing time was often infrequent due to lingering knee issues. He was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in July 2025.
After appearing in 35 games with Cleveland, Ball was dealt to the Utah Jazz in February. The Jazz waived him before he played in a game with them.
There haven’t been many indications at this point teams are looking at Ball. Last season was the first time in many years he was available on a relatively consistent basis. He played in 35 of Cleveland’s first 51 games prior to the midseason trade.
Ball averaged 4.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game with the Cavs.
