NBA: Bulls guard Lonzo Ball to make return Wednesday

FILE–Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball sits on the bench during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers in Los Angeles, Saturday, March 9, 2024. Ball has not played since January 2022 because of three procedures on his left knee. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

After missing the past two seasons with a serious knee injury, Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball is expected to return on Wednesday, ESPN reported Monday.

The Bulls host the Minnesota Timberwolves in a preseason game Wednesday night. Chicago opens the regular season on Oct. 23 at New Orleans.

Ball, 26, last played in a game for Chicago on Jan. 14, 2022. Multiple procedures on his left knee since then include a rare double cartilage transplant.

READ: NBA: Bulls’ Lonzo Ball says he had meniscus transplant

A successful comeback would be something of a medical miracle for Ball, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. His procedure last year included a meniscus transplant and osteochondral allograft to replace the damaged cartilage in the joint.

“This is something that no one has really come back from,” Ball said during Chicago’s media day earlier this month.

READ: NBA: Bulls’ Lonzo Ball ‘can’t run or jump’ due to nagging knee injury

“… I pretty much have a brand new knee. So it’s always going to be a little bit different than what God gave me to start off with. But I’m feeling good, I’m feeling healthy enough to play. So that’s all that really matters, just managing it throughout the year and being available.”

Acquired in a trade with New Orleans prior to the 2021-22 season, Ball averaged 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.8 steals in 35 starts before being shut down.

He has career averages of 11.9 points, 6.2 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 252 games (239 starts) with the Los Angeles Lakers (2017-19), Pelicans (2019-21) and Bulls. –Field Level Media