ATLANTA — Lonzo Ball insists he will play basketball again.
During a rare speaking appearance discussing business at Invest Fest, the Chicago Bulls guard opened up about his troublesome left knee and his recent back-and-forth with media personality Stephen A. Smith regarding the issue.
“I’m going to play again,” Ball said during a panel discussion Saturday. “The outside noise doesn’t bother me. The Stephen A. thing, you know, he has a wide platform. And to me, I just don’t appreciate when people put out fake news like that, especially someone of his stature that can touch a lot of people. It’s just putting out the wrong thing. That’s beside the point.
“For me, I know what I’ve got to do to get back. And I’m just on the path of doing what I’ve got to do every day. Taking it step by step. I don’t look too far ahead. I know in my near future that I will be back on the court, for sure.”
Lonzo Ball, speaking at Invest Fest in Atlanta on Saturday, insisted he will recover from his knee surgery and return to basketball in the near future.
“I’m going to play again,” Ball said.
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Ball, 25, missed the 2022-23 season because of knee complications. He underwent a third surgery in a little more than a year on the same knee in March. The hope is that Ball’s last procedure, a cartilage transplant, gives him his best chance to return. He hasn’t played since Jan. 14, 2022.
Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas said in June that the team anticipates Ball also will miss the 2023-24 season.
When he spoke to reporters before his latest surgery in March, Ball conceded that his mysterious ailment and arduous recovery were frustrating. But on Saturday, Ball exuded confidence. He also exhibited a mature mindset that suggested he’s made peace with his setback.
“You have to realize it’s just part of life,” Ball said. “Life is not easy. And if you want to get the most out of it, you have to (push) yourself forward and put your best foot forward. So for me, even when I get knocked down, you’ve got to get back up every time if you want to keep going.
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“You can always quit, take the easy way out and pout and go to the side. But for me, if you’re trying to get to a place where I want to get to, you’ve just got to get back up, go dust off and keep going.”
Ball said rehabilitating his knee has become his main focus. He took exception to comments from Smith, citing anonymous sources, saying he has trouble standing from a seated position. Ball promptly responded with a video of himself repeatedly standing from a seated position using only his left leg.
“I’m coming back, man,” Ball exclaimed in the video.
“I don’t shy away from criticism at all,” Ball said. “I don’t listen to how people say things. I listen to what they’re saying. In this game that you’re in, a lot of people say a lot of things. But I’m a firm believer in action. So I believe what my eyes show.”
Wearing a money green suit and black button-up shirt sans tie, Ball gave an estimated crowd of 20,000 attendees a glimpse into what likely will become a successful post-playing career. Among the business topics he tackled: his journey from athlete to entrepreneur, balancing basketball and business and the pros and cons of building a business empire with family.
“Business is just me giving to my best self,” Ball said. “And expanding myself and becoming the best person I can be for not only myself but my family. I look at business as just a way to be free. The more you can make, the more people you can provide for. And that’s why I do it.”
Ball said the balance isn’t difficult for him. He understands that the majority of his business dealings stem from basketball.
“So I know I’ve got to take care of what I’ve got to take care of on the court,” he said. “And then off the court, I’ve surrounded myself with a team that can help me get my goals achieved and get to the places I want to get to.
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“I try to keep it simple. I don’t try to bombard my mind with too many things. I try to stay focused, keep it simple and just keep moving like this (motions hand in the air). Even if it’s a slow pace. I just want to keep getting better; one percent every day. And I move like that.”
When asked about his journey from athlete to entrepreneur, Ball chuckled after telling the crowd they already know his father, the outspoken LaVar Ball. Along with his brothers LiAngelo and LaMelo, the family built a brand around their rabid fan base.
In 2016, the year before Lonzo was drafted second overall by the Los Angeles Lakers, the family launched the Big Baller Brand (BBB). One year later, the family debuted their reality television series, “Ball in the Family.”
“Entrepreneurship started at a young age in our household,” Lonzo Ball said. “Just dreaming big and trying to get the most out of yourself. But my journey personally, I think, started when I realized that I was more than just a basketball player.
“And looking at the other athletes around me, the ones that are very successful, you can tell that their business off the court is doing better than their business on the court. And for me, that was just motivating to get into a world where I have a lot of help around me. But just trying to learn as much as I can and make the best decisions. And that’s what I’m trying to do now.”
Ball said starting a family business is not for everyone. He admitted he’s experienced ups and downs and that difficult conversations can be harder to have with family.
“We were very tight so that’s what we wanted to do,” he said. “But it’s not necessarily going to be everybody else’s path.
“You’ve got to find a way to navigate people in your family to get the best situation out of them. And that’s not always the easiest conversation to have with your mom, your dad, your brother, your cousin, your uncle. But you all generally have the same goal in mind. If you want to get to the same places, you’re going to do what makes the most sense as a family together. And for us, I think that was the hardest part, getting everybody on the same page to get to one common goal.”
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Ball’s mission now is singular but not so simple.
“I’ve got to get back on the court,” he said. “So pretty much all of my focus right now is just going into my knee and getting back healthy.”
But be on the lookout for one business venture on Ball’s radar.
“We might have a Chino Hills High School doc in the works,” Ball said. “So stay tuned for that.”
(Photo of Lonzo Ball: Paras Griffin / Getty Images)
Darnell Mayberry is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the Chicago Bulls. He spent 12 years at The Oklahoman, where he handled the Thunder beat before moving into an editor’s role. Prior to The Oklahoman, Darnell covered the University of Akron men's basketball, preps and recruiting at the Akron Beacon Journal. He is the author of "100 Things Thunder Fans Should Know And Do Before They Die." Follow Darnell on Twitter @DarnellMayberry
