After 1,009 days of absence, three surgeries, replacing the cartilage of the body, what did Ball experience?

"Your comeback is one of the most exciting stories in the sports world!" After the Bulls recently traded Lonzo Ball, they commented in their thanks. After 1,009 days of absence, he experienced 5 experts, three knee surgeries, and even replaced the cartilage of the body before returning to the arena. Ball's injury experience at the Bulls can be called "Phoenix Nirvana".

Time went back to January 2022. In the game against the Warriors, Ball squeezed into his knees while squeezing the cover. The soreness made him miss the next game. He thought it was a minor injury, but after a week of treatment by the team doctor, there was no improvement. So Ball had a deeper examination and was diagnosed with a contusion of the left knee bone and a small part of the meniscus torn, requiring arthroscopic surgery. He was expected to be out of the game for 6-8 weeks and barely able to catch up with the playoffs.

6 weeks later, when Ball was doing strength and running training, his left knee began to suffer from continuous pain and even worsened, so he had to announce the season reimbursement. The Bulls just got Ball, DeRozan and Caruso that season, and both offense and defense were strengthened. They were trying to make a big move. They even led the Eastern Conference with a record of 27 wins and 12 losses before Ball was injured. Unfortunately, the Bulls failed to greet Ball in the end and fell to sixth in the Eastern Conference, and were swept by the Bucks 4-1 gentleman in the first round of the playoffs.

All year in 2022, Ball looked at at least 5 knee experts, and used all cutting-edge tests such as human mechanics analysis and three-dimensional cameras, but he couldn't find out which caused his knee pain. As the pain worsened, Ball could not run and jump at all. So in September of that year, orthopedics, rehabilitation experts, agents, Bulls doctors and management discussed with five parties and performed a second joint debridement surgery on him in order to return in the 22-23 season.

The next year to February 23, Ball, who was recovering, felt new pain again. The nuclear magnetic field showed that one of his cartilage began to degenerate and was separated from the bones, causing the wear of his knees to intensify. The pain was so painful that he needed to undergo nerve block treatment to relieve the pain. Ball was helpless and reimbursed the season again. The Bull organized another five-party talks and came up with a new plan: only cartilage can be removed from the dead and completely replace the degenerate part of his left knee for Ball. But the difficulty lies in finding dead bodies similar to Ball's age, and it is best if the deceased has exercise habits during his lifetime, otherwise the strength of the cartilage may not be able to withstand Ball's future basketball activities, which does not include the risk of body rejection brought by the transplant itself. These experts have never tried this kind of solution with any basketball player.

Luckily fortunately, the medical team actually found a matching cartilage. Cartilage comes from Alex, a 20-year-old man who loved rugby and wrestling very much during his lifetime. In February 23, while Ball was suffering from a new round of pain, the young man, thousands of miles away, committed suicide. The family did not disclose the specific reason, but his parents decided to donate his organs and tissues. After the replacement surgery is successful, Ball will have to undergo another 18 months of recovery period, which means that he will be directly reimbursed for the next 23-24 seasons.

The long-term bed rest after surgery made Ball very depressed. At the suggestion of a friend, he started a podcast program to relieve his emotions through stories and chats. The program was named: "What an experience!" (What a fantasy experience)

In the preseason last October, Ball finally stood on the court again after missing for 1,009 days, and his teammate Lavine was wet at the bottom line. In the locker room after the game, teammate White also left the game ball to Ball as a souvenir, and Lavin also gave him the jerseys signed with his teammates.

In April this year, Ball contacted Alex's family through a donation agency and invited them to the Bulls' home court to watch the game. They pointed at Ball's left knee and took a photo, as if they saw Alex running on the court. In the past two years, Alex's body has reborn more than 20 patients.

The business league is cruel after all. Ball has only played 70 games with the Bulls for 4 years and 80 million yuan. The Bulls have no choice but to send him away and replace Ocorro of the Cavaliers alone. However, considering that the Bulls have done their best during his recovery, this "Phoenix Nirvana" journey is a good time to get together.