Artūras Karnišovas, Chicago’s executive vice president of basketball operations, provided an update on Lonzo Ball's knee surgery and the possibility that he could play in the upcoming season.
During the 2023 NBA Draft on Thursday (June 22), Karnišovas told K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago, "Going into the offseason, I think our expectation is that he’s not coming back next season. And 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 getting ready for the season that he’s not going to be back next season…."
Karnišovas added, "He’s recovering nicely. I think last month he got off the crutches, and he’s recovering and doing his rehab. Everything is going well."
Ball, 25, got cartilage transplant surgery in March, and many believe it signals the end of his basketball career. It has been reported that no NBA player has ever returned to the court following that surgery. Ball is under contract for $20.5 million next season with a $21.4 million player option for the 2024-25 season.
Source: NBC Sports
