The Chicago Bulls welcomed back a familiar face on Wednesday when veteran point guard Lonzo Ball checked into the game. It was the first time since 2022 that Ball was in the rotation.
Chicago Bulls fans watched Lonzo go down and struggle for years to return to action, and many doubted he would return at all. So when he finally did check-in for the very first time on Wednesday, it's no surprise that he was greeted with a standing ovation.
Ball, 26, missed the past two and a half seasons with a nagging knee injury but it didn't show tonight with 10 points on 66% shooting in 15 minutes of play. Fans around the NBA community celebrated Ball's return, including one user who described it as an "incredibly cool" moment.
"This is such an incredibly cool moment. 3 knee surgeries. 2 seasons of basketball missed," wrote Forbes insider Esfandiar Baraheni on X . "A literal cartilage transplant in his knee. No NBA player has successfully come back from it. Lonzo Ball is back."
Lonzo hit rock bottom with his injury recovery and the process of becoming pain-free was unbelievably difficult for the former No. 2 overall pick . To see him back all these years later had a lot of fans feeling emotional, including NBA insider Sam Vecenie whose statement went viral on X.
"Just really happy for Lonzo Ball tonight. Anybody who watched that dude in high school and saw the innate feel for the game knew that he was born to hoop. Glad that his body is giving him the chance to do it again."
At 26 years old, there's still room for Lonzo to grow and some argue that he has yet to reach his true ceiling as a player. One fan suggested that his biggest leap could come from the three-point line.
"I don’t think people under that before he got hurt he was already becoming a very good 3-point shooter," wrote 'Iceman' on X . "Now with all that time off, I’m expecting him to be even better."
Ball shot a career-high 42% from three in the 2021-22 season and further improvement would put him in line with the best shooters in the NBA. It would surely be a miraculous turnaround for the star point guard, who is in the last year of a 4-year, $80 million contract.
Sadly, even with Ball at his best, it won't be enough for the Bulls to pose any real threat in the East. After trading DeMar DeRozan and almost dealing Zach LaVine this past summer, the Bulls are very much in a rebuilding state and they were underdogs to win the game against the Timberwolves on Wednesday. Nevertheless, they are now 2-2 in the pre-season so far and starting to feel hopeful. Meanwhile, while Lonzo knows that his body will never be the same, he believes he can contribute at a high level to help the Bulls win when it matters most.
“I can still be productive and effective on the court. That’s why I’m still trying to play," said Ball to ESPN's Jamal Collier . "Looking back on it, it went a lot faster than I thought. Them telling me 18 more months recovery [after the third surgery], it sounds crazy in the moment, but now I'm here. It's all behind me now."
It remains to be seen how the story ends for Ball but considering where he was just a few years ago, it's already a major success given his looming NBA regular-season return. After averaging 13.9 points per game for the Bulls when healthy, there is hope that he can still contribute meaningful minutes off the bench and provide a spark to a Bulls team that desperately needs it.
Related: Instant Analysis: Lonzo Ball Looked Great In NBA Comeback After 2 Years And 9 Months
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