There was a tap on his heart and wave of the hand, a quick thank you kiss to the crowd, and then one final stretch to make sure the left knee was good.
Well, as good as it’s going to be for Lonzo Ball.
And just like that the 1,006-day odyssey – mostly filled with crashing waves rather than smooth seas – was over. Ball made his return to an NBA court for the first time since Jan. 14, 2022, coming off the bench in the first quarter against the Timberwolves and doing so to a standing ovation from the United Center crowd.
Not only from the fans, however, but even his own teammates, both the ones on the floor playing alongside him as well as the ones on the bench, stood and applauded Ball.
“It felt a lot better playing than watching, I tell you that much,” Ball said of his return. “It was definitely a moment I’ll never forget.”
With good reason in the 125-123 Bulls win, finishing with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting, including 2-for-4 from three-point range. Ball also added a rebound, an assist, a steal and a blocked shot, putting in just over 15 minutes of work.
He was expected to play four, four-minute stints, but instead had three stints.
Not bad for a guy that had an experimental cartilage transplant in his left knee and is looking to do what few professional athletes have done after such a procedure: Get his career back.
So what will that look like moving forward?
Check back on Thursday.
While the plan is to make sure Ball starts off with a minutes restriction – no more than 16 minutes now and for the immediate future – he will also avoid playing in back-to-backs. But the Bulls really won’t know much until they see how he feels on Thursday. That’s his new reality.
“I think the biggest thing though is what does he look like (Thursday)?” coach Billy Donovan said. “I think as we get more and more data and how he’s feeling, once we can get into game situations, I think we’ll have a better feel for that. How long that would take? I don’t know, but I do know in talking to Lonzo and even the medical guys, this is new for both of them.”
But Wednesday was a good first step into that great unknown.
Ball was his usual self in getting to the corner and knocking down long-range shots, and he even looked a bit more active on defense than expected.
Considering all the setbacks he’s undergone, however, caution is the best approach. Ball was slowed by Covid at the start of camp and that’s why it took so late in the preseason to get him out there, but he has also experienced some soreness in the knee the last week.
Not necessarily a red flag, but a reminder of the mountain he’s still attempting to climb.
“There’s always going to be something there, that’s just the reality of it,” Ball said of the knee. “I just have to take care of myself as best I can and be ready to play each and every game.”
The bigger picture in all of this is that Ball is still trying to make sure he has an NBA career. He’s in the final year of his contract with the Bulls, and obviously isn’t close to picking up a fishing rod and riding off into retirement.
That’s why he has so much appreciation for the Bulls, who could have easily given up on him as the roster has changed.
“I’ve got nothing but love and respect for them,” Ball said. “They could have just pushed me to the side and keep it moving. Instead, they’ve been with me the whole way, gave me the best treatment, best help I could get, so all the hard work wasn’t just from me.”