3:19 p.m. ET
Jamal Collier ESPN
CHICAGO — Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball said Thursday he remains “at a standstill” in his recovery from a torn meniscus in his left knee. He will meet with a knee specialist next week to determine the next step in his recovery.
Ball had arthroscopic surgery on his knee in January and the team released an initial recovery schedule of six to eight weeks. But his knee never responded properly to the team’s attempts to ramp up its basketball activity in mid-March before closing in early April.
“We’ve kind of let it settle down over the last two weeks, I’ve been working pretty hard to get back as soon as possible,” Ball said during his farewell interview at the team’s training facility on Thursday. “But as I said, at a standstill. I’m still in pain. I definitely have to find out this summer.”
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Ball, who played his last game on Jan. 14, wasn’t sure he’d need another operation in the offseason.
“Hopefully not,” he said. “I wouldn’t want anyone else. But if that’s what it takes, then I pretty much have no choice at this point.”
Ball had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in the same knee in July 2018, but returned at the start of training camp while he was a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. He also has a bone bruise in his knee but wasn’t sure if that or the torn meniscus caused the discomfort to continue.
“It’s the same tear, that’s the second time I’ve ripped it,” Ball said. “Obviously something needs to be addressed this summer. Much more leg training than probably upper body. I will work with the doctors and strength coaches and do what I have to do to get well.”
Ball was limited to 35 games in his freshman season with Chicago, a career low for games in his five-year career. He averaged 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists while shooting 42.3% from 3.
“It’s very frustrating,” Ball said of the end of his season. “This year we had a promising feeling. And we had a lot of goals that I don’t think were met, mainly because of a lot of health issues. You can’t change the past. I think everything that happens for a reason. For me it’s about moving forward and preparing for next year.”