Lonzo Ball shares concerning details about his knee injury

Dec 19, 2021; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball (2) brings the ball up court against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Lonzo Ball is opening up this week about his troublesome knee injury, and the details are somewhat alarming.

Speaking with reporters during a call on Tuesday, the Chicago Bulls guard Ball revealed that he cannot run or jump right now due to his injury, much less play basketball. The 24-year-old also said that he is even having pain while walking up stairs.

Asked if the knee pain he's feeling is chronic or only during basketball activities, Ball said "It’s every day. Even going up stairs and stuff, it’s still painful."

— Darnell Mayberry (@DarnellMayberry) September 27, 2022

Perhaps more concerningly, Ball added that his doctors were surprised by the nature of his injury.

Lonzo says he thought he was going to be back for the playoffs and didn't feel like he rushed back.

"This is something I've never dealt with. Even the doctors are surprised a little bit"

— Will Gottlieb (@wontgottlieb) September 27, 2022

The former No. 2 overall pick Ball saw his season last year end in mid-January because of the knee injury (after just 35 appearances for Chicago). The Bulls also recently shared the disappointing update that Ball will need a debridement procedure on the knee with another lengthy recovery timeline.

Ball has a history of problems in his left knee, including a sprained MCL in Jan. 2018 followed by a torn meniscus several months later. As an insurance policy, Chicago brought in veteran guard Goran Dragic this summer, who now seems likely to start at point guard during Ball’s continued absence. Based on Ball’s concerning remarks here on top of that, we may not be seeing him back on the court for the Bulls any time remotely soon.