INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Lonzo Ball has had to deal with his share of injuries throughout his career, but now, with the Cleveland Cavaliers after being traded from the Bulls, Ball is eager to showcase his fit with the team while remaining grateful for opportunities and the ability to continue playing the game he loves.
Ball, whom the Cavs acquired in a deal that sent Isaac Okoro to the Bulls, arrived in Cleveland on Monday. He underwent physicals and is now settling into his new home, getting a lay of the land and acclimating himself as the offseason continues.
“This is my first day here, so I haven't really got to meet too many people, but people I have been around have been, you know, super positive, been good energy, good vibes. Did some testing today. Been in the doctor's office for quite a bit today, so got all that stuff out the way. Now I'm just happy to meet the guys and play with everybody," Ball said.
Ball entered the league as the second overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft out of UCLA, selected by the Los Angeles Lakers. In his two years with the Lakers, Ball played in 99 games, starting in 95 of them, averaging 10 points, 6.4 assists, 6.2 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and shooting 38% from the field. He was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in 2019, averaging 13.1 points, 6.4 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals while shooting 40.9% from the field in the two seasons with the team.
Ball was traded again in 2021 in a sign-and-trade with the Bulls, where he remained until the trade to Cleveland.
His NBA journey has taken him to a number of different teams and seen him have to deal with a number of injuries, including shoulder injuries and knee injuries that have sidelined him both for stretches of games and, most recently, for two whole seasons. Ball had recurring issues with his left knee, and before the 2022 season had surgery to clean up his knee joint before having a cartilage and meniscus transplant in 2023, keeping him out for both seasons.
There was a time he thought he might not ever play again.
But Ball made his return to basketball last season, playing in 35 games and starting in 14. Ball averaged 7.6 points, 3.3 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals in the games he played with the Bulls last year, shooting 36.6% from the field and 34.4% from three.
He was satisfied with how his knee felt upon his return to game action.
“I would say the way just my knee held up. After the games, I didn't really know what to expect. But when I first got back versus Minnesota in that preseason game, I was kind of surprised how good I was moving around, and then I felt like it just got better as the year went on. Unfortunately, I had to deal with my wrist, but as far as my knee was concerned, it was pretty good," Ball said.
Now healthy and facing a new opportunity in Cleveland, Ball is grateful to be continuing his NBA career, now in wine and gold—a team he believes provides him a chance to win.
“Just a huge blessing just to be able to play at all and then let alone for this organization. I couldn't ask for nothing better than this. I think it's a great situation for my play style, and I'm just looking forward to just getting out there and competing," Ball said. "Really, just to have the chance to win. Obviously, we know how good the Cavs are. You know how good they've been in the past, and I think that this year we have a great chance to go for it all, and that's really all I'm focused on.”
Ball hasn't gotten to work with the guys just yet, but when he does, he's looking forward to showing off how he might fit, especially complementing All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell on the court in any given game.
“Don is obviously one of the best players we have in the league, and then they have two bigs that are mobile, that can set pick and rolls and get to the rim like that. And then I feel like we can do some switching on defense. So I think we can do a lot of different things on both sides of the ball, and I think to have the option to be able to do those things is great," Ball said.
While it will be some time before Ball gets into real action with the team, his excitement takes him back to watching Cleveland basketball growing up, making him consider this opportunity as a full-circle moment with a big-picture goal.
“As a kid, I won't say if I was a Cavs fan, but I was a LeBron fan, so naturally I was a Cavs fan. So it's kind of cool, like a full circle moment to be able to come here and play for them and just try to get a ring for them.”
