Lonzo Ball Injury: Why Is He Not Playing in the NBA

Lonzo Ball keeps saying he isn’t done with the NBA, and so far the league hasn’t said much back. The former No. 2 pick was waived by the Utah Jazz in February 2026, then pushed back on retirement rumors in a September podcast appearance.

Born: October 27, 1997 · Draft: 2017, Round 1, Pick 2 (LAL) · Position: Guard · Last NBA team: Cleveland Cavaliers · Current status: Free agent after being waived by Utah Jazz

Four data points anchor Ball’s situation, and one theme runs through all of them: availability, not talent, has defined his career.

Why is Lonzo Ball not playing in the NBA?

The short answer is his left knee. What began as a meniscus tear in January 2022 turned into a multi-year medical saga that cost Ball two entire seasons and, so far, the confidence of the league’s front offices.

What injury is Lonzo Ball dealing with?

• A left meniscus tear in January 2022 triggered the long absence, according to Heavy.com (NBA news site).
• Ball has since gone through multiple procedures, including a cartilage transplant, per his reported injury history (Bleacher Report, sports media outlet).
• His knee still requires daily management — yoga, stretching and ice — as Bleacher Report detailed after his latest comments on his health.

That last detail is the one teams notice. A guard who needs daily maintenance just to feel normal is a guard whose availability will always be uncertain, and availability is the one thing contenders cannot buy at the deadline.

When did Lonzo Ball last play an NBA game?

• Ball returned for the 2024-25 season and played 35 games, according to The Athletic (NBA beat reporting).
• He then appeared in 35 games with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2025-26 season before the trade to Utah, per Sportskeeda (NBA fact-check).
• Utah waived him in February 2026 before he ever suited up for the Jazz, per RotoWire (fantasy sports database).

So Ball’s last NBA game came in a Cavaliers uniform, not a Jazz one. That distinction matters for the “will he ever play again” question: he is not a player who has been out for years; he is a player who was on an NBA floor months ago.

What is happening with Lonzo Ball?

Ball is a free agent with a big name and no contract. The sequence of moves that left him there happened quickly, even by NBA standards.

Which team waived Lonzo Ball?

• The Utah Jazz waived Ball in February 2026 after acquiring him from the Cleveland Cavaliers, per RotoWire (fantasy sports database).
• Utah’s youth and backcourt depth — Keyonte George and Isaiah Collier in particular — made Ball expendable, per NBC Sports Fantasy (player news).
• The move left him as an unrestricted free agent, Yahoo Sports (NBA news) confirmed.

Is Lonzo Ball retiring from the NBA?

• No. Ball publicly pushed back on retirement reports on September 23, 2026, saying he is not retired, according to NBC Sports (NBA news outlet).
• Yahoo Sports reported that Ball is still waiting for an NBA call and has not signaled retirement.
• No team has picked him up on an NBA contract since the waiver, NBC Sports added.

That combination — publicly available, publicly insisting he is not done, and publicly unsigned — is unusual. Most veterans in his position either announce retirement quietly or sign a minimum deal before camp. Ball is doing neither.

The implication: Ball is openly campaigning for a job while teams quietly pass. For a former No. 2 pick, that is a strange place to be — but it is exactly where the knee has put him.

Will Lonzo Ball ever play again?

The honest answer: nobody has publicly said yes, and nobody has publicly said no. The signals that do exist point one way — Ball wants back in, and teams are in no hurry.

What is Lonzo Ball’s recovery timeline?

• Ball’s availability has been injury-managed rather than retirement-driven, per NBC Sports (player news desk).
• His knee still needs daily upkeep, which Bleacher Report detailed after his health comments.
• No NBA team has publicly announced a clearance or a return date.

What has Lonzo Ball said about his NBA future?

• He wants to continue his NBA career, The Athletic (NBA beat reporting) reported.
• He is waiting for an NBA call and has not signaled retirement, per Yahoo Sports (NBA news).
• He describes the knee as a daily management project, not a career-ending verdict, per Bleacher Report.

The most concrete signal is the calendar. NBA training camps were approaching on September 29, 2026, with Ball still unsigned, Sportskeeda (NBA fact-check) noted. Camps open, rosters lock, and unsigned veterans lose their best leverage.

The trade-off: Ball can wait for a training-camp injury to open a roster spot somewhere, or he can accept a minimum deal and bet on his own comeback. So far, waiting has been his strategy.

Did Lonzo Ball get traded?

Yes — more than once. Ball’s career is a series of transactions in which he was typically the secondary piece, never the headline.

How many teams has Lonzo Ball played for?

• Los Angeles Lakers (2017-2019): drafted second overall (RotoWire, fantasy sports database).
• New Orleans Pelicans (2019-2021): included in the Anthony Davis trade (RotoWire).
• Chicago Bulls (2021-2025): joined via sign-and-trade on a reported four-year, $80 million contract (Yahoo Sports, NBA news).
• Cleveland Cavaliers (2025-2026): 35 games in the 2025-26 season (Sportskeeda).
• Utah Jazz (2026): traded and waived before playing a game (RotoWire).

In regular-season games, Ball has worn four jerseys: Lakers, Pelicans, Bulls and Cavaliers. The Jazz jersey belongs on the list of what-ifs.

Which trade sent Lonzo Ball to the New Orleans Pelicans?

Ball had been in the league exactly two years when that trade happened. From that point on, every team that acquired him treated him as a movable asset rather than a building block — a pattern that ended with a waiver in Utah.

The pattern: every team that drafted or traded for Ball eventually decided he was worth more as a contract to move than as a player to keep. The knee made that decision easier.

Who is the wealthiest Ball brother?

The Ball brothers — Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo — built their family brand around basketball before any of them had an NBA resume. For context on how much the league’s young stars earn now, see our breakdown of Paolo Banchero: Biography, Stats, Height, Ethnicity & Salary.

What is LaMelo Ball’s net worth?

• LaMelo, the youngest, signed a rookie max extension with the Charlotte Hornets — the largest contract any Ball brother has signed.
• The gap in career earnings between LaMelo and both older brothers is enormous.

LaMelo’s extension reset the family hierarchy. Whatever Lonzo and LiAngelo earned before is not in the same conversation.

How much has Lonzo Ball earned in the NBA?

• Lonzo’s biggest contract was the reported four-year, $80 million deal he signed with Chicago in 2021 (Yahoo Sports, NBA news).
• One report put his 2025-26 scoring at 4.6 points per game, a career-low figure (Yahoo Sports).

That scoring number is worth pausing on. Even when Ball was healthy enough to play 35 games, the production was a shadow of his pre-injury self — which is the quiet reason teams are not rushing to sign him.

The irony: LaMelo’s extension made the Ball name bigger than ever while Lonzo’s $80 million deal runs out from the sideline. The family wealth ranking is no longer close.

Lonzo Ball’s NBA timeline

Ten dates tell the story of how a No. 2 pick became a free agent nobody has claimed.

• October 27, 1997 — Born in Anaheim, California.
• 2017 — Drafted second overall by the Los Angeles Lakers (RotoWire).
• 2019 — Traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in the Anthony Davis deal (RotoWire).
• 2021 — Joined the Chicago Bulls via sign-and-trade on a reported four-year, $80 million contract (Yahoo Sports).
• January 2022 — Left meniscus tear interrupted his first healthy Bulls stretch (Heavy.com).
• 2022-23 and 2023-24 — Missed both full seasons (Heavy.com).
• 2024-25 — Returned and played 35 games (The Athletic).
• 2025-26 — Played 35 games with Cleveland before the trade to Utah (Sportskeeda).
• February 2026 — Waived by the Utah Jazz (RotoWire).
• September 23, 2026 — Pushed back on retirement reports (NBC Sports).

The last four entries share one detail: no basketball. Since January 2022, Ball has played 70 total NBA games across two partial seasons — a staggeringly thin return for a player drafted to change a franchise.

What’s confirmed vs. what’s still unclear

The line between fact and guesswork has blurred in Ball’s saga. Here is the clean split.

Confirmed facts

• Ball was drafted second overall by the Lakers in 2017 (RotoWire).
• He was waived by the Utah Jazz in February 2026 (RotoWire).
• He said publicly that he is not retiring (NBC Sports).
• He missed the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons with knee issues (Heavy.com).

What’s unclear

• Whether any team will sign him before training camp opens.
• The complete medical picture of his left knee; even Ball describes it as a daily management project (Bleacher Report).
• Whether he can return to a rotation-level role after four disrupted seasons.
• Whether a minimum contract materializes or he sits out another season.

For now, the knowns are all about the past, and the unknowns are all about the future. Ball’s comeback depends on which list grows faster.

Lonzo Ball in his own words

Three statements define the moment, each from a different stage of his comeback attempt.

“I’m not retiring.”

— Lonzo Ball, in a podcast appearance reported by NBC Sports (NBA news outlet)

“The knee still requires daily management — yoga, stretching and ice.”

— Lonzo Ball, on his health routine, via Bleacher Report (sports media outlet)

Ball wants to continue his NBA career despite being off a roster.

— Reported by The Athletic (NBA beat reporting)

Take all three together, and the picture is consistent: Ball’s body is the problem, not his desire.

Where Lonzo Ball goes from here

Ball has done what he can from his side: he stayed in shape, he went public, and he made clear he wants to play. What he cannot do is force a team to call. The market for veteran guards who need nightly maintenance is small, and it has not called since February. His story is a reminder that NBA careers come in unexpected packages — just ask Muggsy Bogues: NBA’s Shortest Player – Career Stats, Net Worth. For Lonzo Ball, the math is simple: accept a veteran-minimum, prove-it deal from any team that offers one, or spend another fall watching games from home.

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