Lonzo Ball reveals he had rare surgery to transplant the meniscus in his left knee

Lonzo Ball has missed the last two seasons with Chicago Bulls due to a left knee injury that needed three operations in two years. Ball underwent cartilage transplant surgery on his knee in March 2023, following a damaged meniscus in January 2022. That operation, which involves repairing damaged cartilage with cartilage cells from the patient's own body, is very uncommon on its own.

However, Lonzo Ball stated on his podcast, "The WAE Show," that he underwent another extremely uncommon treatment during his 2023 surgery. He also underwent a meniscus transplant, obtaining a new meniscus from a donor to replace the one that was first torn in 2018. 

As per Yahoo Sports Lonzo Ball said, "I tore it a couple more times to a point to where there was no more —, not much meniscus left, and bone-on-bone was rubbing."  "So the cartilage was gone and the bone was messed up, so I had to get a new meniscus from a donor. I had to get a bone allograft and I had to get some new cartilage put in as well."

Ball, who will be 27 in October, is still unsure if he will be able to play on his left knee. However, earlier this month, he exercised his $21.4 million player option for next season. That decision does not place Chicago Bulls in an advantageous position. If Ball continues to get back from his injury but does not return to the court, his deal will consume a major portion of Chicago's salary budget in 2024-25 as the team seeks to re-sign DeMar DeRozan and Pat Williams.

Lonzo Ball ready to return from start of next NBA season

 Under those conditions, trading Zach LaVine and the $138 million remaining on his deal (which includes a $49 million player option) may become an even bigger priority. However, if Ball is unable to return and his knee injury is ruled to be career-ending, the Bulls will be entitled to deduct $21.4 million off their salary limit and luxury tax. 

Ball believes he will play this season and estimates that his knee is roughly 70% healed. He can run and perform simple drills without feeling the same agony he did previously. He stated that the goal is to be ready for the start of the following NBA season.