Basketball star Lonzo Ball sparked confusion by appearing to reveal he was retiring from the NBA before insisting that was ‘news to him.’
The 28-year-old, who was drafted second overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2017, led many fans to believe his time in the NBA was over after comments he made on the ‘Ball in the Family Podcast.’
In Tuesday’s episode, Ball discussed the knee injuries that have plagued his career, admitting: ‘To be honest, I don’t think I ever got to my peak.’
He said: ‘I feel like I gave everything I had to hoop and I feel like everything I got in my life is because of hoop. So I’m grateful to even make it to the league and even be able to play for nine years. That’s how I look at it.’
Ball is believed to have earned around $123 million during his nine seasons in the NBA.
‘Your game changes. You see where you’re supposed to be and you physically can’t get there. You gotta be comfortable with yourself, to be honest with you,’ he continued.
Lonzo Ball appeared to reveal he was retiring from the NBA before claiming it was ‘news to him’
‘I retired? News to me lol cuz I’m still waiting for a call… NBA season long,’ Ball wrote on X
‘I feel like, to be honest, I don’t think I ever got to my peak. And it’s like, damn, that s*** sucks, but at the same time, there’s a lot of people, like, that don’t have meals to eat type s***. That’s how I look at the world.
‘So, it’s like, damn, I still got to make it up there and got to play and put the jersey on and do everything I wanted to do as a kid, so that was enough for me to be happy.’
Clips of his comments spread across social media, with many believing they signaled the end of Ball’s NBA career.
But on Wednesday, the unrestricted free agent clarified that he is still hoping for an opportunity to return to the court.
Ball, who is the older brother of Timberwolves star LaMelo, posted on X: ‘I retired? News to me lol cuz I’m still waiting for a call… NBA season long.’
Ball most recently played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, following an injury-ravaged spell at the Chicago Bulls and two seasons apiece at the Los Angeles Lakers and the New Orleans Pelicans.
