Lonzo Ball has returned to the court for the Chicago Bulls this season after two full years away due to a torn meniscus and various setbacks in his recovery that required multiple surgeries.
Ball getting fully back to being the dynamic guard that helped the Bulls explode out of the gates in the 2021-22 season seems unlikely, but it’s been great to see him back on the floor and showing the playmaking and defense that made him such a well-rounded prospect coming out of UCLA. On Thursday, ESPN released a deep dive by Ramona Shelburne and Jamal Collier into Ball’s more than two year process of getting back to basketball, and in it Lonzo spoke for one of the first times about Big Baller Brand and the potential those shoes played a role in his eventual knee issues.
Ball likened the first BBB shoes to “kickball shoes” and only wore them twice in Summer League due to discomfort. His rookie year, he wore Big Baller Brand shoes that were manufactured by Skechers, but still wasn’t a big fan. He can’t help but look back and wonder if those caused him long-term problems, as he first suffered a meniscus injury in January 2018 as a rookie wearing BBB.
“I think it’s a possibility for sure, to be honest with you,” Ball said when asked if they contributed to his knee problems. “I wasn’t really getting hurt like that until I started wearing them.”
Ball also added that years of playing basketball on concrete courts and sprints in the park growing up could’ve contributed, and stopped short of saying he regrets any of it, noting all of that is why he made it to where he is. That said, plenty have speculated over the years that Lonzo’s knee issues (and LaMelo’s ankle problems) were, at least in part, exacerbated by playing in fledgling BBB shoes that weren’t ready to provide the kind of support needed for playing NBA basketball. Ball, who spent two years trying everything he could to get his knee back to being pain-free, has spent more time than anyone else reflecting on what could have caused his issues that evaded doctors for years, and similarly can’t help but wonder if they played a role.
