Lonzo Ball is back in the NBA as the injury-stricken star plans to make his return in the 2024/25 season with the Chicago Bulls, ending a run of over 1000 days without taking to the professional court.

Ball was selected as the second pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers after leading the NCAA in assists but struggled with shoulder and knee problems before being sent to the New Orleans Pelicans, where the problems appeared again.

Then the Californian native headed to the Bulls in 2021 and his career almost collapsed as the now-26-year-old found persistent knee issues ruling him out of the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons.

Now after 1006 days, Ball is due to be back when the Bulls take on the Minnesota Timberwolves in preseason on October 16 in what will be his first appearance since January 2022, as per The Athletic.

The target is modest for him so far. He simply has to play the two remaining preseason games before the Bulls and the player will judge how much risk they want to take before they take on the Pelicans on opening night.

“He’s done really, really well,” Bulls’ coach, Billy Donovan, told media. “He’s been out there and he’s played. And he’s been effective playing. I think his timing’s coming back.”

What injuries struck Ball?

The problems first began for the older brother of the Charlotte Hornet’s LaMelo when he missed six-to-eight weeks in January 2022 due to a knee injury, interrupting his season in which he had posted impressive numbers as he broke out.

The star required surgery and brought an end to his campaign after 35 games, and it’s something he never managed to recover from until now as the UCLA graduate suffered rehabilitation set backs.

That ensured he never got to shoot a hoop for some 211 games between sustaining the knee injury and the end of the 2023/24 NBA season, excluding pre-season contests and the NBA In-Season tournament.