Lonzo Ball’s NBA career seemed to be over after a video emerged on Wednesday showing the former No. 2 overall pick discussing his career to date.
The clip features Ball talking about his basketball career, one that has seen him play seven NBA seasons spread over nine years, including stints with the Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Pelicans, Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers.
A career-altering knee injury has prevented Ball from reaching the level he believed was possible, with Ball missing the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons entirely, but the 28-year-old guard remains focused on getting back to play.
“I feel like, to be honest, I don’t think I ever got to my peak,” Ball said. “And it’s like, damn, that (expletive) sucks. But at the same time, there’s a lot of people that don’t have meals at night to eat. That’s how I look at the world.”
Ball explained that taking time off was easier than outsiders might expect because he never felt he shortchanged basketball.
“It wasn’t as hard as probably people would think, only because I felt like I never short changed the game,” Ball said. “Like I feel like I gave everything I had to hoop and I felt like everything I got in my life is because of hoop. So I’m grateful to even make it to the league and to even be able to play for nine years, you feel me? So that’s how I look at it. I kind of look at it like halfway full and not halfway empty type of thing.”
Shortly after the clip misled basketball fans to believe Ball had retired, the former UCLA standout clarified that’s not the case.
“I retired? News to me lol cuz I’m still waiting for a call… NBA season long 🤷🏻♂️”
The Lakers drafted Ball with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. His career, however, changed dramatically after he suffered a torn meniscus with Chicago in January 2022.
Ball underwent multiple procedures on his left knee and missed the entire 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons before eventually returning to NBA action.
Ball has career per-game averages of 10.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.6 assists while being named to the 2017-18 NBA All-Rookie Second Team. He’s currently an unrestricted free agent coming off a season with the Cavs in which he averaged 4.6 points, four rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game.
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