Current:Home > MarketsLonzo Ball makes triumphant return for first NBA game since Jan. 2022-InfoLens
Lonzo Ball makes triumphant return for first NBA game since Jan. 2022
View Date:2024-12-23 16:02:52
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! (9488)
Related
- AI could help scale humanitarian responses. But it could also have big downsides
- Massachusetts man is found guilty of murder in the deaths of a police officer and elderly widow
- How ageism against Biden and Trump puts older folks at risk
- Behind the scenes of CBS News' interview with a Hamas commander in the West Bank
- NBPA reaches Kyle Singler’s family after cryptic Instagram video draws concern
- Behind the scenes of CBS News' interview with a Hamas commander in the West Bank
- About that AMC Networks class action lawsuit settlement email. Here's what it means to you
- 3.8 magnitude earthquake hits Ontario, California; also felt in Los Angeles
- Rachael Ray Details Getting Bashed Over Decision to Not Have Kids
- NBA All-Star break power rankings with Finals predictions from Shaq, Barkley and Kenny Smith
Ranking
- Halle Berry surprises crowd in iconic 2002 Elie Saab gown from her historic Oscar win
- Caitlin Clark does it! Iowa guard passes Kelsey Plum as NCAA women's basketball top scorer
- Facebook chirping sound is a bug not a new update. Here's how to stop it now.
- Deadly shooting locks down a Colorado college
- West Virginia expands education savings account program for military families
- Rob Manfred definitely done as MLB commisioner after 2029: 'You can only have so much fun'
- What's Making Us Happy: A guide to your weekend viewing
- Massachusetts man is found guilty of murder in the deaths of a police officer and elderly widow
Recommendation
-
Dallas Long, who won 2 Olympic medals while dominating the shot put in the 1960s, has died at 84
-
Survivors of recent mass shootings revive calls for federal assault weapons ban, 20 years later
-
Record Store Day 2024 features exclusive vinyl from David Bowie, Ringo Starr, U2, more
-
Seven of 9 Los Angeles firefighters injured in truck blast have been released from a hospital
-
Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow's Son Moses Martin Reveals His Singing Talents at Concert
-
US wholesale inflation accelerated in January in latest sign that prices picked up last month
-
Will the country music establishment embrace Beyoncé? Here's how to tell, according to experts
-
Paul McCartney reunited with stolen 1961 Höfner bass after more than 50 years