After three knee surgeries and more than two years off, Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball finally made it back to the court.

Ball participated in his first-ever NBA game in more than two years on Wednesday night when the Bulls hosted the Minnesota Timberwolves in a preseason game, which was his first game since Jan. 14, 2022. He received a huge ovation from the United Center crowd, and then he almost immediately hit a corner 3-pointer.

Ball finished with 10 points, one assist and one rebound. He shot 4 of 6 from the field and played just 15 minutes – one minute less than the limitation with which he entered the game.

Ball suffered a meniscus injury in his left knee in January 2022 and had to undergo arthroscopic surgery to repair it. Soon afterwards, however, he felt discomfort in his knee and had to undergo another operation in the autumn. The Bulls had hoped he could return before the end of the 2022–23 season, but he was out of action in February 2023. He finally had to undergo a third operation in March of this year, which meant he was unable to play all of last season.

Overall, Ball has only played 35 games in the last three years.

Although the repeated setbacks and surgeries seem to be enough to make anyone give up the sport altogether, Ball believes he can still help the Bulls win. The former No. 2 overall draft pick averaged 14.6 points, 5.7 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game with the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2020-21 season, which was his last full season, the best of his career.

It’s unclear how the Bulls will use Ball this season, especially early on as he gets back into the swing of things. He also struggled with knee pain during pre-season training. While he said that’s to be expected, it’s something both he and the Bulls will have to keep an eye on throughout the season.

He may not be the same player he once was, but Ball is finally playing basketball again. No matter what happens later in his career, this was the first step.