The 2024-2025 NBA season is just around the corner, and there was great news for Chicago Bulls fans with star PG Lonzo Ball returning to the lineup.
Ball last played for the Bulls in January 2022, and after two and a half years, he was finally cleared to play. He was restricted to 15 minutes, but he finished with 10 points, shooting 4/6 from the field and securing a win in the Bulls' second-to-last preseason game.
LONZO BALL IS FINALLY BACK AFTER 2 YEARS 😭
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 17, 2024
THEN HITS HIS 1ST SHOT 🔥 pic.twitter.com/zCxUiJZGOZ
It has been over a thousand days since Ball played in an NBA game, which is almost unheard of. Ball has had three surgeries on his left knee, including a rare double cartilage transplant in March of 2023.
Ball, who is only 26 years old, was drafted second overall by the Lakers in the 2017 draft. After playing two seasons with the Lakers, he was traded to the Pelicans in a package for star center Anthony Davis. After two seasons with the Pelicans, he was traded again to the Chicago Bulls. He only played 35 games with the Bulls before suffering his left knee injury, which has kept him out since then.
The six-foot-six point guard makes an impact every time he steps on the court. With his elite size for the position and improving three-point percentage every year of his career, it is easy to see why Bulls fans are excited to have Ball back. Ball is also an elite passer, and his size makes rebounding easy.
Everyone wins because Lonzo Ball is back. pic.twitter.com/3vy5AfElsZ
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) October 17, 2024
With the Bulls first regular season game being in just six days, where they will face Ball's former team, the Pelicans, excitement in Chicago is pretty high. With a slightly revamped team with the additions of Josh Giddey and the loss of Demar DeRozan, the Bulls could easily slide into a low-seeded playoff team or a play-in spot. Hopes are high in Chicago, but no one is more excited than Lonzo Ball to get back on the court and prove to everyone that he can still perform at a high level.
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