If you were watching the Chicago Bulls in late 2021, you saw something that felt like a glitch in the Matrix. It was beautiful. Lonzo Ball was throwing full-court outlet passes that looked like quarterback heaves. He was hitting transition threes with a revamped form that finally worked. For 35 games, the Bulls weren't just good; they were the best team in the Eastern Conference.
Then everything broke.
For 1,000 days, Chicago Bulls Lonzo Ball became a ghost. A cautionary tale. People started talking about his knee like it was a mystery novel with no ending. But what happened next wasn't just a sports story; it was a medical anomaly.
The Science of the "New" Knee
Most people think Lonzo just had a "bad knee." In reality, he underwent a procedure that basically doesn't happen in professional sports. In March 2023, he had a double cartilage and meniscus transplant. We're talking about donor tissue from another human being—specifically a young man named Alex Reinhardt—being grafted into an NBA player's leg.
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Dr. Brian Cole at Rush University Medical Center performed the surgery. It was a Hail Mary. No NBA player had ever successfully come back from this. When Lonzo finally stepped back onto the United Center floor in October 2024 for a preseason game against the Timberwolves, the standing ovation wasn't just for a player. It was for a guy who refused to let his career die at 26.
What the Stats Don't Tell You
The numbers from the 2024-25 season look... okay. He played 35 games for Chicago, mostly off the bench, averaging about 7.6 points and 3.3 assists. But stats are kinda deceptive here. He wasn't the same "point of attack" defender who could harass Steph Curry for 94 feet. He lost a step. He admitted it.
However, his brain stayed elite. Even with a "new knee," Lonzo’s basketball IQ remained a cheat code. He knew where the ball needed to go before it even touched his hands. The Bulls' net rating with him on the floor still showed sparks of that 2021 magic, even if the physical explosion was gone.
The Trade That Changed Everything
Here is where it gets weird. In early 2025, the Bulls did something nobody expected. They signed Lonzo to a two-year, $20 million extension. It was a "reward for the grind" type of deal, but it also gave them a $10 million trade chip.
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Then, on a random Saturday in June 2025, they pulled the trigger.
The Bulls traded Lonzo Ball to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Isaac Okoro.
Honestly, it felt like the end of an era in Chicago, even though the "era" was mostly spent on a training table. The Bulls moved on to a younger core with Josh Giddey and Coby White, while Cleveland hoped Lonzo could be the veteran stabilizer for Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell.
The Reality Check in Cleveland
If you’re checking the scores in early 2026, you've noticed the honeymoon in Cleveland is over. Lonzo has struggled. Badly.
- Shooting Percentages: He’s hovering around 30% from the field.
- Rotation Status: Head coach Kenny Atkinson recently benched him for Craig Porter Jr.
- Physicality: The "cooked" narrative is starting to pick up steam on NBA Twitter.
Jeff Teague even went on his podcast and said Lonzo "can't hoop no more." That's harsh. But it's the reality of a guy playing on a donated meniscus in a league full of 20-year-old terminators.
Why We Still Care About Lonzo
So, why does Chicago Bulls Lonzo Ball still matter if he’s playing for the Cavs and struggling? Because he proved the "impossible" surgery could work. He didn't just retire and collect his insurance money. He fought through three surgeries in two years just to be a backup guard on a $10 million contract.
He also gave us one of the most human moments in recent sports history. In April 2025, while still with the Bulls, he hosted the family of his tissue donor, Alex Reinhardt, at the United Center. He told them, "It changed my life." You don't get those moments from a box score.
What to Watch For Next
If you're a fan of the game, don't look at Lonzo's PPG. Look at his impact on the locker room and his ability to facilitate. The Cavaliers are currently debating whether to trade him again before the 2026 deadline or keep him for a potential playoff run. He’s a free agent after this season, and his NBA future is on a knife's edge.
Actionable Insights for Following Lonzo's Career:
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- Watch the Lateral Movement: If you see him getting blown by consistently, the knee isn't holding up. If he’s still poking balls loose in the passing lanes, there’s hope.
- Contract Watch: He has a $10 million cap hit. Teams looking for a veteran floor general (and a potential expiring contract) will be calling Cleveland before February.
- The "Bulls" Connection: Keep an eye on Isaac Okoro in Chicago. That trade is the measuring stick for whether the Bulls made the right move moving on from Lonzo.
Lonzo Ball might never be an All-Star again. He might not even be a starter. But the fact that he's even running on an NBA court in 2026 is a medical miracle that rewritten the rulebook for career-ending injuries.