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Jamal CollierESPN
Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball will undergo an arthroscopic debridement of his left knee and will be reevaluated in four to six weeks, the team announced on Wednesday.
The surgery is scheduled for next Wednesday in Los Angeles — the procedure will take place eight months after an initial knee surgery in January to repair a torn meniscus.
Ball has not played in a game since Jan. 14. Before the surgery in January, the team announced a recovery timeline of six to eight weeks, but the discomfort in his left knee has persisted throughout the rehab process whenever he tries to ramp up basketball activity.
It kept him sidelined for the rest of the regular season and playoffs, but the pain has continued throughout the summer while Ball rehabbed in Los Angeles.
It’s the third time in his career that Ball, who turns 25 in October, will have undergone surgery on his left knee — he had another operation in July 2018 while playing for the Los Angeles Lakers but returned on time for training camp. A debridement is a procedure intended to remove damaged tissue or foreign objects from a wound.
The Bulls begin training camp next week in Chicago and open the regular season on Oct. 19 in Miami. Ball’s surgery will sideline him until at least late October, but the team says he is scheduled only to be reevaluated then, so it’s unclear when he will be able to return to the court.
In his first season in Chicago after signing a four-year, $80 million contract, Ball averaged 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists while shooting 42% from 3 in 35 games.