Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball is expected to return to the court in August — one of the final steps in a yearslong recovery from a knee injury that has required three surgeries.
It has been nearly 29 months since Ball participated in a five-on-five scrimmage. But executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas said Wednesday night that Ball is on track to return to contact scrimmaging in August, signaling a hopeful step in an arduous process.
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“He’s cleared to do pretty much everything on the floor,” Karnišovas said. “We continue to strengthen him, and in the next two months we’ll see what he’s going to look like.”
After initially injuring his knee in January 2022, Ball spent more than a year attempting to identify the source of his lingering pain and discomfort before undergoing a third and final surgery in March 2023.
Ball’s path to recovery is a rare one. He is attempting to become the first athlete in the country to return to professional competition after undergoing meniscus and knee cartilage transplants. Either procedure is often considered career-ending on its own.
After spending most of last season separated from the team to focus on recovery in Los Angeles, Ball has been splitting time between Chicago and California throughout the summer, routinely checking in with the Bulls coaching and medical staffs as he ramps up progress.
The Bulls remain hopeful that Ball will be available to participate when training camp begins in October.
“It’s moving along,” Karnišovas said. “We don’t know what he’s going to look like in a month or two, so we’re just going to take one step at a time. Hopefully he’s going to be ready for training camp.”