Injuries have repeatedly derailed Lonzo Ball’s NBA tenure. The former second overall pick is now facing the risk of retirement. He is sitting without a team after the Utah Jazz waived him soon after acquiring him from the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Feb 5 trade deadline. Yet this isn’t the primary reason. Once again, health is the hurdle.

According to league insider Brett Seigel, many around the league worry that Ball’s medical records could prevent him from returning to the NBA. While no decision is final, teams remain cautious. For now, he continues training and focusing on his health, hoping for another chance. However, if he goes unsigned for the rest of the season, he may be forced to explore playing opportunities overseas to continue his career.

Hope once tied Lonzo Ball to the Denver Nuggets and the Golden State Warriors as buyout market options. However, that optimism is fading when aligned with Seigel’s report. The 28-year-old guard played 35 games for Cleveland this season, matching his total from the previous year. Yet his production slipped. He averaged 4.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in 20.8 minutes per game.

Moreover, his efficiency raised concerns. Ball shot 30.1% from the field and 27.2% from the three-point range. More troubling, he missed the entire 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons due to a left knee injury. In March 2023, he underwent a meniscus and cartilage transplant after two prior surgeries failed to fix the injury suffered in 2021-22 with the Chicago Bulls.

Given his medical history, many league personnel hold serious concerns that the former Lakers star may never return to NBA action. Overseas might be an option for him. But the NBA? For now, teams have shut their doors on him.

The UCLA alum was drafted second overall in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. And he arrived in the City of Angels among much fanfare. However, the pressure of playing in LA, plus the added pressure that his dad’s actions brought, saw Ball struggle to settle in the league. But he found a home with the Pelicans after the Lakers traded him as part of the Anthony Davis deal.

Ball became one of the best defensive guards in the league and averaged a career-high 14.6 points per game in 2020-21. That is why the Bulls, who were looking to take the next step in the East, traded for him. However, injuries soon took over.

What Happened to Lonzo Ball’s Knee?

Lonzo Ball’s knee troubles began in January 2022 during a Chicago Bulls game. He was diagnosed with a torn left meniscus and a bone bruise. He underwent arthroscopic surgery in September 2022. However, setbacks followed. In March 2023, doctors performed a second procedure featuring a donor meniscus transplant and cartilage implant. Later that year, he required a third cleanup surgery. Consequently, recovery stretched 2.5 years.

Eventually, Ball returned in the 2024-25 season, playing 35 games at 18.5 MPG with efficient shooting before a wrist injury. The Cavaliers acquired him in June 2025. Yet in 2025-26, he logged limited minutes and needed constant knee maintenance. He was moved to the Utah Jazz as Cleveland looked into the future with James Harden. And as of February 2026, Lonzo remains an unsigned free agent after a rumored Warriors deal collapsed over medicals.

Thus, Lonzo Ball stands at the edge of the league he once promised to command. Injuries rewrote his script, and now medical doubts echo louder than draft night cheers. Still, he trains; he waits. However, NBA doors stay closed for now. Overseas could call next. Yet if resilience has a face, it might just look like Ball refusing to fade.