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One of the virtually unavoidable realities of being a professional athlete is knowing that there’s really nothing you can do to ward off the injuries you’re going to inevitably grapple with at some point over the course of your career.
Thanks to the wear and tear people in that line of work subject their bodies to on a regular basis, succumbing to some sort of ailment tends to be a matter of “when” as “opposed” to if—although they can usually take solace in knowing they have plenty of resources at their disposal to make a full (and hopefully speedy) recovery.
Unfortunately, Lonzo Ball hasn’t been able to check either of those boxes since he was sidelined by the knee injury that’s kept him out of commission since the start of 2022.
Ball was selected by the Lakers with the second overall pick in the NBA Draft in 2017 before he was traded to the Bulls in the summer of 2021.
Unfortunately, he didn’t have time to make much of a mark in Chicago, as he hasn’t suited up since January 14th, 2022 due to the aforementioned setback that has baffled medical experts who’ve spent close to a year-and-a-half attempting to diagnose and address the root cause.
Ball underwent a couple of surgeries before going back under the knife for a third time earlier this year in order to replace the cartilage in his left knee (while that procedure has a solid success rate for the average person, there’s evidence that suggests it can be a bit harder for athletes to fully rebound).
While the surgery seemed to be a success, ESPN reports the franchise has issued yet another concerning update about Ball’s status, as Bulls vice president Arturas Karnisovas had this to say about his progress (or lack thereof) in the wake of the NBA Draft on Thursday:
“Our expectation is that he’s not coming back next season. He’s going to continue on his recovery.
If he comes back, it would be great. But we’re just going to treat this offseason and get ready for the season that he’s not going to be back…
I hope eventually we’re going to see him on a basketball court. But I do not think he’s going to be back next year.”
Here’s to hoping he’ll be able to mount a comeback sooner rather than later.