NBA veteran and former Los Angeles Lakers guard Lonzo Ball appeared to announce his retirement from basketball on Wednesday.
It now appears his retirement isn’t so certain.
Ball, who the Lakers selected with the No. 2 pick of the 2017 NBA Draft, seemed to allude to his career coming to an end during an episode of his “Ball in the Family Podcast” that aired on Tuesday.
In the podcast, Ball spoke about the constant injuries he has dealt with, then reflected on how these injuries have derailed his career.
“To be honest, I don’t think I ever got to my peak. And damn, that sh** sucks, but at the same time there’s people that don’t have meals at night to eat. That’s how I look at the world,” Ball said.
Social media clipped this quote from Ball and took it to mean he had retired.
Several accounts ran with that on Wednesday morning.
But Ball refuted that notion with an X post, writing, “I retired? News to me lol cuz I’m still waiting for a call… NBA season long 🤷🏻♂️”.
Ball is currently an unrestricted free agent, and mentioned in the podcast that he was supposed to go play overseas in Dubai last week but decided against doing so.
Still, the 28-year-old’s comments convey that he isn’t retiring, as was initially reported.
Ball spent the first two seasons of his NBA career in Los Angeles before being traded to the New Orleans Pelicans as part of the blockbuster trade that brought Anthony Davis to the Lakers. He then spent two seasons in New Orleans before signing with the Chicago Bulls in free agency.
Despite signing a four-year deal, Ball played only one season then missed the next two because of injuries. His final season in Chicago was in 2024-25, then played last season with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Ball’s younger brother, LaMelo, is a star guard for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Lonzo, has averaged 10.6 points and 5.6 assists per game while shooting 39.2% from the field in his career. These stats leave a lot to be desired, but Ball isn’t one of the NBA’s most polarizing figures for his hoops.
His father, LaVar, is a bombastic personality with a unique knack for making headlines, usually involving something outrageous he said or did.
Lonzo’s basketball career is also polarizing. For one, the Lakers’ decision to take him with that No. 2 overall pick didn’t age well, given that the Boston Celtics selected Jayson Tatum — who went on to become one of the league’s best players — one pick later.
Lonzo can’t be faulted for Los Angeles’ draft decision. But that fact doesn’t change how many Lakers fans feel about him.
