Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball has between a Grade 1 and Grade 2 sprain in his right wrist, an MRI revealed on Wednesday. The UCLA product will be sidelined for at least 10 days.
Ball, 27, suffered the injury while bracing for a fall after a steal attempt in the first quarter of Monday’s 126-123 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. He finished with six points and six assists in 18 minutes off the bench.
“If I play on it right now while it’s still swollen, it could get to a Grade 3. That would require surgery,” Ball said while wearing a brace to immobilize the wrist. “Trying to avoid that obviously. Let the swelling down, hopefully tape it up and get back to it.”
Injury Update: Lonzo Ball sustained a right wrist sprain in the first quarter of last night’s game at Memphis.
Ball will be re-evaluated in 10 days with updates provided as appropriate.
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) October 30, 2024
Ball braced for the fall after attempting to intercept a pass intended for Memphis’ Jake LaRavia. He felt discomfort in his wrist at halftime but “applied tape and played through the pain,” according to ESPN’s Jamal Collier.
“I felt it, but my adrenaline was going,” Ball said. “I was trying to win the game. But it was nothing to hold me back really, so hopefully I can just tape it up as soon as possible and get back out there.”
Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball is seeing his first NBA action since January 2022 after undergoing several knee surgeries
Ball has appeared in three games this 2024-25 season, his sixth NBA campaign and first league action since January 2022 after undergoing multiple surgeries on his left knee.
The 6-foot-6 Ball is averaging 4.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists while shooting 35.7% from the floor and 33.3% from 3-point range. Although the season just started, he’s attempting a career-low 4.7 field goals per game.
However, Ball is also playing a career-low 15.7 minutes per game, as the team is trying to ease him back into action, avoiding back-to-backs and limiting his workload during practice.
His knee is healthy through three games and less than 50 minutes played, so the Bulls seem to be managing his play just fine. The wrist injury is a setback, but the team is not expecting the injury to affect him long term.
“An unfortunate moment, but it happens,” Ball said. “Hopefully I get over it as fast as possible and get back to business.”
The Bulls host the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night.
