Lonzo Ball says he's far from finished in the NBA: 'I'm only 25'

Since he joined the Chicago Bulls in 2021, Lonzo Ball has played in just 35 games.

He's been plagued by knee issues with the team, watching a projected eight-week absence from a meniscus tear swell into more than a year and a half away from the hardwood. After undergoing surgery to repair the tear, Ball experienced repeated discomfort in his rehab process, and Chicago ultimately shut him down for the remainder of the campaign in February.

Ball's status remains the same, and after he underwent a cartilage transplant in his knee in March, Bulls vice president Arturas Karnisovas announced that "Zo" would not rejoin the team during the 2023-24 season.

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Still, Ball maintains that this is not the end of his NBA journey. 

"I definitely plan on playing again," Ball said at Chicago's media day on Monday.  "After surgery three, I feel like it's going well so far — no setbacks. So for me, it's just keep my head up, just keep doing the work."

Ball, who was selected second overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2017, brought up the fact that youth is in his favor. "I'm only 25," he emphasized. "I couldn't control getting hurt or not getting hurt or anything like that. It's just something that happened to me, part of my career."

Ball was having the best stretch of his career before he sustained the injury in January 2022. At the time, the Bulls had the best record in the Eastern Conference (27-13), while Ball was shooting a career-high 42.3% from 3-point range. It was the first time he'd ever shot above 38% from beyond the arc. He was also the only player in the league to average five rebounds and five assists to go alongside a plus-40% metric from deep. 

For Ball, it's all about keeping the right mindset and controlling his focus.

"I try to stay positive," he explained. "I don't look at the negatives. I try to think about what I can do to get better and that's how I wake up every day and live.

"The surgery was a really big surgery, We all came together with a plan moving forward. It's not really a set timeline, but I pretty much have this whole year to get as healthy as possible and get ready to play next season."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.