The Chicago Bulls and point guard Lonzo Ball agreed on a two-year contract extension on Wednesday, rewarding the 27-year-old for his determination to return after missing two seasons due to injuries.
This season, Ball is averaging 7.2 points and 3.5 assists per game in 30 games, following two years away because of issues with his left knee. Last year, he had a cartilage and meniscus transplant after several previous surgeries didn’t fix the problem.
“I’m excited for him because of the journey he’s had to get back in between the lines and playing, and, obviously, give all the medical people a ton of credit for helping him get to that point,” said Chicago coach Billy Donovan after Wednesday’s loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“I think he, really, always has felt pretty good about his situation here in Chicago, which I think is great. I think he’s been a great inspiration to a lot of us.”
Ball missed Wednesday’s game against the Timberwolves due to left knee injury management. This was the second game of a back-to-back after the Bulls beat Miami the night before. Ball had played in eight consecutive games but is still not playing both games of back-to-backs.
He played 35 games in his first season with the Bulls in 2021-22 before injuries sidelined him. He made his return to play in October.
Despite rumors of trade offers, Chicago chose to keep Ball, especially after trading Zach LaVine to Sacramento over the weekend.
“We felt like he was an important piece to that, in terms of helping people,” Donovan said about Ball’s value. “He’s got a great IQ. He knows how to play, and I think anytime you have a point guard that’s got that kind of IQ, he makes people around him better.”
