CHICAGO — Lonzo Ball delivered an emphatic message Tuesday as experiences proceed to fill unsureness condition his talent to go back from a left knee shock: “I’m coming back.”

Ball posted a video on social media in keeping with a record through ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, who claimed on Tuesday’s version of “First Take” that Ball remains to be suffering to arise up 5 months upcoming his 3rd operation to handle the knee shock.

“I’m incredibly, incredibly sad for Lonzo,” Smith mentioned. “It’s really sad what happened to him. Something went wrong in terms of these procedures that he has had. I don’t think he’ll ever be the same based off of what we’re seeing and hearing. I’ve heard that it’s even hard for him to get up from the sitting position.”

Ball’s reaction was once delivered poolside from his house in Los Angeles age status and sitting time and again from a chair on his injured left leg.

“Who are your sources, bro?” Ball mentioned within the video. “You gotta stop yapping. I actually like you, man. I don’t even know you like that, but I like you. I’m coming back, man.”

The publish was once probably the most self belief Ball has proven in his condition. However the occasion rest murky for the Bulls’ most popular origination level defend, who’s not going to look the court docket for a 2d consecutive season.

Ball has now not performed basketball since Jan. 14, 2022. Within the 19 months since, he has gone through 3 surgical procedures — maximum lately a cartilage transplant, a unprecedented process that hasn’t ever ended in a participant’s go back to the NBA.

Even if he isn’t absolutely dominated out for the 2023-24 season, vice chairman of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas showed in June the Bulls haven’t any expectation for Ball to go back this season.

“Going into the offseason, our expectation is that he’s not coming back next season and he’s going to continue on his recovery,” Karnišovas mentioned. “If he comes back, it would be great, but we’re just going to treat this offseason and getting ready for the season that he’s not going to be back.”

Ball’s long fix has been a supply of lack of certainty and frustration all the way through the Bulls group because the onset of his shock.

In an look on Trae Younger’s podcast “From the Point” on Monday, Ball shared his personal sadness within the hesitation created for the extra of the Bulls roster through his behind schedule go back.

“It’s going to be a big what-if,” Ball mentioned. “I feel bad, just for the (front office) because I feel like they made the perfect team around me. I felt like that was the most I’ve ever been involved in an organization and I finally got the perfect team that I felt like could fit my game and play my way and really just do what I wanted to do. … I felt like we had a chance and never got to see what it was.”