At 27 years old, Lonzo Ball was forced to accept a last-ditch operation to save his career, undermined by knee problems. The leader thus underwent a cartilage transplant, which no NBA player had yet accepted. Enough to at least be able to return to the pitch, more than 1,000 days after his last match…
Well aware that he will never be the same player again, LaMelo's brother hopes at least that this will allow him to be useful to his team, and to continue playing the sport he loves.
“Kickball shoes” for playing in Summer League
But obviously, Lonzo Ball is now wondering what could have weakened his knees so much.
“I was an Adidas fan in high school, and I thought it was going to continue down that road” he explains in an article from ESPN who looks back on his long rehabilitation. “But what I was told is not really what happened. I was told no one wanted to sign me so my dad pitched the idea of starting our own brand. »
The shadow of LaVar Ball thus hangs over the entire situation. Did the father lie to his son to force him to realize his own ambitions, by launching a shoe brand of very dubious quality?
The Chicago player admits that his first pair of “Big Baller Brand” shoes were impossible to wear. “They looked like kickball shoes (a mix of football and baseball)” he admits, explaining that he was only able to wear them twice during the 2017 Summer League, before buying other pairs himself (Air Jordan, Nike, Adidas, Under Armor…) at Foot Locker to finish Summer League MVP.
Chino Hills asphalt
And if the shoes made for his regular season debut, following a production agreement with Skechers, were a little better, Lonzo Ball wonders if they did not contribute to his first meniscus problem, a few months later. “It’s a possibility, to be honest with you.”he now recognizes. “I had never experienced problems like this before I started wearing these shoes. »
As he wonders if having spent his childhood and adolescence running, with his brotherson the asphalt of the hills of Chino Hills Park, with physical sessions imposed almost daily by his father, did not weaken his knees even before his arrival in the Big League.
“My uncle always told me that we played too much outside because we gave our all on our field. And it was on concrete. We did this for 15 years so I imagine that over time, it's not good for the knees. »
But does he regret all that today?
“I don’t think I would be here if I hadn’t done all this”he still assures. “All the work we did may have been painful, but it also made us who we are. »
| Lonzo Ball | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2017-18 | LAL | 52 | 34 | 36.0 | 30.5 | 45.1 | 1.3 | 5.6 | 6.9 | 7.2 | 2.2 | 1.7 | 2.6 | 0.8 | 10.2 |
| 2018-19 | LAL | 47 | 30 | 40.6 | 32.9 | 41.7 | 1.1 | 4.2 | 5.3 | 5.4 | 2.4 | 1.5 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 9.9 |
| 2019-20 | NOP | 63 | 32 | 40.3 | 37.5 | 56.6 | 1.1 | 5.0 | 6.1 | 7.0 | 2.0 | 1.4 | 3.1 | 0.6 | 11.8 |
| 2020-21 | NOP | 55 | 32 | 41.4 | 37.8 | 78.1 | 0.6 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 5.7 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 2.2 | 0.6 | 14.6 |
| 2021-22 | CHI | 35 | 35 | 42.3 | 42.3 | 75.0 | 1.0 | 4.4 | 5.4 | 5.1 | 2.4 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 13.0 |
| 2024-25 | CHI | 6 | 16 | 38.5 | 31.8 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 2.3 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 4.5 |
| Total | 258 | 32 | 40.0 | 36.4 | 57.8 | 1.0 | 4.6 | 5.7 | 6.1 | 2.1 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 0.6 | 11.7 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
