How to Destroy an NBA Career_ The Tragic Lonzo Ball Story

I'm very impressed with Alonzo Ball. I think he could be a potential superstar in the making. Alonzo's ability to make the people around him better is special. He's an exciting player. The Los Angeles Lakers select Alonzo Ball. Alonzo Ball's official shoe released. $495 shoes. Olivar, have you been surprised by all the reactions to your shoes? Oh, not really. No one knows the real story about them shoes. Them ZL2s I was playing in, they was not ready. But now, after they do the surgery on his leg, I'm looking and I'm like, yo, they got him running and stuff too fast. When looking back, the 2017 NBA draft was one of the more fascinating classes in recent memory. The number one pick, Markel Fultz, had a miserable career with the Sixers, failing to become the sharpshooting guard Philly had hoped for. Three spots later at number four stood Josh Jackson, who was unable to evolve into the two-way assassin Phoenix desired. The top players from this class are Jason Tatum, Bam Adebayo, Donovan Mitchell, and De'Aaron Fox. All four players are all-star level talents, and lived up to the expectations that were put on them. Then there's the big question mark. The one player that had more hype than everyone aforementioned. In the 12 months leading up to the 2017 draft, the sports media was centered on one polarizing UCLA guard, Lonzo Ball, and his dad. I think he's Jason's kid who can score the basketball. He's obviously the best passer in college basketball, and he has absurd range on his jump shot. Somebody gotta be better than Jordan, why not you? Lonzo Ball was a prodigy, touching a basketball for the first time at two years old. From that very moment, his goal and his family's goal was simple, make it to the NBA. In 2016, Lonzo was a senior at Chino Hills High School, and he quickly became the most exciting point guard in the nation. Whether it was his effortless passing vision, his curry-esque long-range shooting, or his unparalleled swagger, Zo led his senior year team to a 35-0 record, earning the state title on top of it. The reason Ball caught so many eyes was because he had two things, The three Ball brothers took America by storm, each one of them having their own unique skills. Lonzo was the passer, Jello was the shooter, and Mello was the scorer. Lonzo was the oldest of the three, and this fascinating trio captivated basketball fans of all ages. In 2016, the expectations for Lonzo Ball were only growing higher and higher. He had already committed to UCLA at the age of 16, and was touted by many as a surefire top three prospect. If you asked any spectator during this time, they would agree that Lonzo was on the right path, and had a successful basketball career ahead of him. While that second statement was an accurate assessment, one thing was already putting Lonzo's career in jeopardy, that being the mileage on his legs. When looking at present-day Lonzo Ball, the headlines surrounding him are depressing. His play on the court is above average, he's a quality point guard that would add valued playmaking and shooting to any team. But the problem isn't his play, it's his health. Through Lonzo's five-year NBA career thus far, he has missed 37% of the games he's eligible to play. It's been a variety of lower body injuries, varying from knee issues to ankle injuries, to most recently, the horribly unfortunate bone bruise and meniscus injury. Lonzo Ball has been plagued by poor health, and it's robbed him of showcasing his abilities on the floor. Yet, why does he experience these injury issues? Sure, some players might be more unlucky than others, but chalking Zo's health to just bad luck isn't doing this situation the justice it deserves. There's a major problem here. Throughout Lonzo's rise as a player around high school and into college, there were multiple events he experienced that explain why he's so injury-prone today, starting from the very beginning. Lonzo is nothing short of a basketball fanatic. His father, LaVar Ball, knew Zo would be drafted by the Lakers since he was a baby. You've been talking about it for nine months. Nine months? You're talking about 19, 20 years. All right, 19, 20 years. You just ran the microphone on me when I was talking about it. Lonzo was being trained to become an NBA player from an incredibly young age. As mentioned before, Zo first started playing basketball at the age of two years old. Lonzo says his first memories of playing came at age six in different YMCA gyms. He often played against the older kids and held his own, signifying to LaVar that he had the skills needed to succeed in the sport. LaVar Ball wanted to ensure that his son had the best possible advantage over his opponents, so from the age of just four, they began training. LaVar is quoted as saying, At the age of 12, Lonzo started using free weights. He did military presses and bench presses. Zo also sprinted up one-mile-long hills, and this was all done five days a week once he turned 12. Lonzo was outworked by few, and this strict training regimen combined with his elite two-way skills turned him into a young star. But knowing what we know now, is it not fair to wonder if these workouts at all affected Lonzo's future health? Ball played hoops a ton throughout his childhood and trained five days a week consistently, putting long-lasting mileage on his legs that cannot be understated. NBA players who played an abundance of youth basketball are starting to see a pattern, more wear and tear on their legs. Why? Because the countless hours of basketball they played as teenagers is starting to weigh on them. This point was echoed by orthopedics and the commissioner of the NBA, Adam Silver. Silver was quoted as saying that orthopedics are seeing wear and tear issues in young players that they didn't used to see until players were much older. In a well-researched ESPN article by Baxter Holmes, he details a three-year-long experiment that was conducted among Chicago youth athletes. The average age of the athlete involved was 13 and a half. Kids who were specialized in one sport versus kids who were not specialized in one sport were compared. What was found was that those who were specialized were at a significantly higher risk for injuries, such as bone issues, cartilage injuries, and ligament injuries. How much higher of a risk? About 125%. That's right. Teenagers who specialized in one sport year-round were at a 125% higher risk of injury than those who weren't specialized. Now tell me, which player started working out at four years old? Who was playing basketball at the YMCA regularly at six, and trained five days a week since they were 12? Who sprinted up one-mile-long hills consistently? And who was constantly specializing in playing basketball? Who infamously worked out on Christmas Day? The answer is Lonzo Ball. Which injuries are Lonzo unfortunately facing today? Well, his most recent surgery is to remove broken cartilage and tissues. To add on, Lonzo has received criticism in the past for his questionable workout routines. In May of 2020, a video of him awkwardly lifting weights went viral on the internet, with many criticizing his form, claiming it was dangerous. If Zo was lifting weights with this poor form and not seeing anything wrong with it, who's to say that he wouldn't continue this bad pattern into his other workout routines? Regardless, this is only the tip of the iceberg. There are many other factors to blame for why Lonzo is so injury-prone. It's the spring of 2017, and Lonzo Ball is the king of college basketball. No other NCAA player was receiving as much attention. He was compared to the Hall of Fame point guard Jason Kidd. Hype was growing, not only from his play, but also from his father. LeVar Ball needs no further introduction. Every week, a new quote would emerge from LeVar on how Lonzo was the soon-to-be legend. LeVar said Lonzo was better than Steph Curry, and he said that he could beat Michael Jordan in a one-on-one. Yet, all of those statements paled in comparison to his clothing company, Big Baller Brand, BBB for short. LeVar Ball and his team expertly advertised and marketed BBB for months. You weren't a real hooper if you didn't wear BBB. LeVar and his wild quotes drew attention to the company, while LaMelo, LiAngelo, and Lonzo all wore its merch regularly. The most infamous product ever released by BBB were the ZO2 Prime Sneakers, a signature shoe of the college point guard Lonzo, that were priced at $495. Everywhere across the sports world, people cracked jokes about this. $500 shoes for a college kid who hadn't even proved himself to be a good NBA player yet. But what little seemed to question is how these sneakers would affect his health. The BBB sneakers that Lonzo Ball wore are perhaps one of the biggest reasons for why he is such an injury-filled mess today. He didn't wear them every game, but when he did, his lower body suffered. In September of 2019, Lonzo revealed that his $495 shoes needed to be changed every single quarter because they kept ripping. No one knows the real story about those shoes, said Lonzo in a podcast interview. They were not ready. It got to the point where Lonzo told his manager that he could not play in those shoes. They were unwearable after one quarter of play. What many forget is that Lonzo's original ZO2 Prime shoes were actually redesigned before they were released. Why were they redesigned? Lonzo's two worst summer league games came when he was wearing his own $500 sneakers. Ball played best when he was wearing other sneakers like Nikes, but once he put on his own, his play took a nosedive. The ZO2 Prime redesign was created to be a bit more wearable in-game, but even then, the results were catastrophic. It got so bad that Lonzo was confronted by the Lakers' organization about the BBB sneakers in early March of 2019. The Lakers were wondering if the shoes had all contributed to Lonzo's slew of ankle injuries he was suffering. Ball told them he was comfortable, and if he wasn't comfortable, he'd be playing in Covies. He was not telling the truth. Why'd Lonzo insist on wearing them? Lonzo consistently wore BBBs for the first two seasons of his career. In mid-to-late 2019, ZO2 publicly ditched Big Baller brand. BBB's co-founder, Alan Foster, allegedly used $1.5 million of Lonzo's money for himself. Foster was the man who convinced Lonzo to sign with BBB instead of Nike and Adidas during the 2017 draft. As we will soon discover, Lonzo's decision to wear BBBs ended up being a horrible one. Now, let's rewind back to the summer of 2017. Lonzo Ball had just been drafted to Los Angeles, fulfilling his lifetime goal of becoming a Laker. Cameras were on this 19-year-old every day. He had the most hype out of any player in his draft class. Summer League ended up being a success. LA won the championship, with Lonzo being the MVP. Zo performed well, outside of the few poor games he had when he wore his signature shoes. Lonzo's rookie season saw him miss 30 out of the 82 games, with various knee and ankle issues. On June 29, 2018, two months after his rookie season had concluded, he was diagnosed with a torn meniscus in his left knee that forced him into surgery. The injuries were in all at the fault of the BBB sneakers. Zo hurt his lower body wearing regular Nikes as well. What is worth noting is that LaVar Ball called the Lakers trainers and their workout methods BS. If you're going to be doing those workouts with rubber bands like that dude Gunner has him doing, that is BS training. That's what I call it. He wasn't like that when I brought him over there. When he first came to the Lakers, he never got hurt. He was never hurt. LaVar is referring to Gunner Peterson, a Lakers trainer who worked with Zo. Primarily utilizing rubber band workouts. At this point in the summer of 2018 though, there was little to no fear regarding Lonzo Ball's health. His long history of specializing in basketball, his BBB shoes, his questionable training methods. None of that raised any red flags yet. When LeBron James signed with LA in July of 2018, expectations of a championship were abound in Los Angeles. But that didn't happen. Not with Lonzo on the team at least. What would follow for Zo was a rollercoaster sophomore season that ended with more question marks than answers. Lonzo Ball's 2018-19 season was one that saw him show flashes of his number two pick ability. He quickly gained a reputation of being one of the most elite perimeter defending guards in the game. He and LeBron had their exciting moments too. They became the eighth duo in NBA history to both record a triple-double in the same game. Come New Year 2019, everything was looking up for Lonzo. The Lakers were a few games over .500 and were looking to make a playoff push. Zo was finally getting into a good rhythm. He had played every game of the season thus far. He was shooting above average from downtown and his defense was becoming lethal. The starting point guard position was his to lose. He, LeBron, and Brandon Ingram were the big three that was expected to give Los Angeles their first playoff appearance in half a decade. But that all changed on January 19th, 2019 in a game against the Houston Rockets, where Lonzo suffered an injury that changed the direction of his career forever. In the second half against the Rockets, Lonzo hurt his ankle in a collision. It was a left ankle sprain. This injury not only ended Lonzo's season, but it took his momentum and his team's momentum and crushed it. The Lakers, who were 25-21 at the time of this injury, plummeted, going 12-23 in the final 35 games and missing the playoffs. Lonzo was coming off a stretch where he was averaging 15-9-6, and an all-defensive team appearance seemed more than possible. Yet there were no accolades for Lonzo and no playoff appearances for the Lakers. Instead, the final image of Lonzo Ball's career with Los Angeles is this. The 21-year-old lying on the ground, injured again, with his big baller brand shoes on. A tenure where Lonzo was hyped up to be the next Magic Johnson is remembered for nothing more than backbreaking injuries and losing. He was traded six months later. Every story doesn't have a good ending. Lonzo was expected to miss 4-6 weeks with this injury, but ended up being shut down in late March of 2019. This ankle injury he suffered was when he was wearing BBB sneakers. On the night of November 27th, 2018, Lonzo wore BBBs against Denver and suffered a left ankle sprain. One month later, against Sacramento on December 28th, 2018, Zo aggravated his ankle again. Which shoe was he wearing? You guessed it. As mentioned earlier, the Lakers spoke to Zo when he was rehabbing in March of 2019, two months after his Rockets injury. Lonzo said wearing BBB sneakers didn't bother him. He was lying. Six months later, in September of 2019, Lonzo was quoted as saying, This quote was after his falling out with Alan Foster. Zo was referring to BBB, and he was talking to his father while saying this. He never wore the shoes in-game again. A little known fact from this time is that in April of 2019, Lonzo Ball almost had an unauthorized surgery. Lonzo and his team had planned to get surgery on his ankle from a doctor they were familiar with, and it would have been without the Lakers' permission. Once LA's general manager Rob Palenka called Lonzo and threatened to void his contract, Zo agreed to cancel the surgery. A near disaster was avoided, and this could once again be chalked up as another questionable move by Zo. His odd workout routines, his disastrous decision to put Big Baller Brand over his health, and his choice of almost going through with a surgery that his team had no idea about, all of them were iffy choices. The first two seasons of Lonzo's career had a detrimental impact on his long-term health. Unfortunately for him, the worst was yet to come. Lonzo's two seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans were forgettable. The one bright spot was Zo's health in the 2019-20 season, as well as his improvement shooting the three ball. Lonzo went from a liability from outside at 32% in 2018-19 to 37% in 2019-20. Fun fact, this year remains the one with the most games ever played by Zo in one season, 63 games played out of 72. This was a high point in Lonzo's career. He was finally getting healthy. He had a sweet new jump shot, and the duo of he and Zion Williamson were expected to dominate for the next decade. The 2020-21 season was conflicting for Zo. He was an up-and-down, inconsistent player. One game, he'd hit a multitude of threes and look like a two-weight beast. Another game, he'd be passive with the ball, passing up open shots and looking like just another forgettable face on the court. This was understandable, though. Fans of Lonzo believed his talents would be better utilized on a different team. Lonzo wanted to be the primary playmaker and desired to be paid a pretty penny that New Orleans didn't want to give him. Like Los Angeles, the expectations for Zo were high once he arrived in New Orleans, but by the end of it, fans were left just shrugging their shoulders. Lonzo dealt with hip strains, minor knee injuries, and thumb sprains in his final season with New Orleans, which made the Pelicans hesitant to offer him a big deal. This combined with Zo's preference for playing in the Windy City made the free agency process smooth. The Chicago Bulls quickly emerged as a team that was willing to pay Lonzo as much as he wanted. Ball's playmaking alongside Zach Levine's scoring and DeMar DeRozan's slashing were a match made in heaven. Finally, in what would be year five of his career, Zo was in the position he'd always dreamed of. He could be the captain of a playoff team. He'd never been in the postseason before, and now was his best chance. Through the first few months of the 2021-22 season, that dream was realized. Lonzo evolved into the best version of himself. Having a career year, he averaged 13 a game with five dimes, shooting a scorching hot 42% from downtown. This was a player who just a few years prior was known as an offensive liability for his lack of a jump shot. Zo tuned out the noise and put the work in, and was reaping the benefits. He and the Chicago Bulls rose to the number one seed in the East, appearing to be formidable contenders. Ball had arrived, gaining more and more momentum each game. He was a two-way monster. His last game of the 2021-22 season came against the Golden State Warriors on January 14th. Nobody knew it at the time, but Zo was about to go through one of the most grueling and painful injury recoveries in NBA history. On January 15th, 2022, Zo was ruled out against the Celtics with knee soreness. Nothing was thought of it at the time, but once four days passed and it was announced that his knee was not responding to the treatment, panic rose in Chicago. He was diagnosed with a bone bruise and a small meniscus tear the next day. He underwent surgery eight days later, and this is where many problems arise. In mid-March of 2022, videos surfaced of Lonzo running and lifting weights, looking better health-wise. The only problem is that nine days later, he reportedly faced more discomfort. Accusations from many NBA fans, including LeVar Ball, accused Chicago of rushing Lonzo back following the surgery. LeVar is quoted as saying this. Lonzo's apparent discomfort after the surgery came when he began sprinting and cutting, implying that the Bulls were progressing much faster than he was comfortable with. He was officially ruled out for the season in early April. On April 28th, following Chicago's loss to the Bucks in round one of the playoffs, Zo said his recovery was at a standstill. For months through the summer of 2022, it was radio silence regarding Lonzo. Then, heartbreak was announced on September 29th, 2022. He could not run, he could not jump, and he could not play. He was undergoing yet another knee surgery. Depressing news, and underneath that misery, is one haunting question that must be answered. Will he ever be the same? All of these injuries leave Lonzo in a terribly difficult position to be in. Assuming he returns, will the lower body issues keep piling on? Will he ever be able to grow into the all-star point guard that many believed he could be? Will his life ever be the same? The severity of such injuries cannot be understated. There comes a point where Zo may have to make a difficult decision between playing basketball or putting his health first. His personal day-to-day life could be affected by this injury and possible future ones. And that's what makes the tragedy of Lonzo so frustrating. He had the potential to be one of the most electric point guards in the game. In college, he was regularly called the most exciting player in the NCAA. He had millions of fans, tons of fame on social media, and was willing to put in the work to improve at his faults. He had the charisma, talent, and personality of a superstar. Every team would benefit from having a healthy Lonzo on their squad. But here's the problem. He's never healthy. Just when it seemed like he was putting it together in Los Angeles in 2019, he was hit with an ankle sprain that ended his season. In New Orleans, he and Zion could have been one of the most thrilling pairings in the league. But the Pelicans let him go because they didn't want to pay him. Why? Because he was too injury-prone. In Chicago, the Bulls were the number one seed in the Eastern Conference with Zoe Healthy. Ball was the glue that held the team together. Once he got hurt, the Bulls lost all of their momentum and crashed, leaving Lonzo to go yet another year without a playoff appearance. If you told any college basketball fan back in 2017 that this is how Zoe's career would go, they'd laugh at you and call you crazy. The idea of such a flawless prospect facing such an unlucky fate is agonizing. Lonzo Ball will go down as a what-if, and nobody wants another what-if story. There's no one solo thing to blame for his downfall, but there are multiple factors. Him playing hoops since age 2 and starting to work out at age 4 played a part in this. Running up one-mile-long hills five days a week and lifting consistently from age 12 onwards helped him gain an edge over his opponents, but it also put tons of miles on his legs. His questionable workout routines that he does by himself or with teams have to be taken into account as well. The big baller brand nightmare may be the most crucial element to all of this. A great majority of the injuries Lonzo suffered as a Laker were with BBBs on. Lonzo said that the shoes were ripping and exploding at the end of every quarter, so much so that he had to change them each time. Very few players go through such a process with their sneakers, and no player would continue wearing the sneakers once they discover how poor quality they are. But Zoe kept wearing them through year 1 and 2. The Chicago Bulls' decision to rush Lonzo back after his meniscus surgery may have cost him the future of his career. Ball has only played over 60 games one time in his first six seasons. His future is now covered in fog. The once most polarizing college player in the country is now the most forgotten. Get well soon, Lonzo.