Chicago Bulls star Lonzo Ball lashes out at Stephen A. Smith over his knee injury claims in brutal response: “Who are your sources, man?”
Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball not only confirmed he will miss the entire 2023-2024 season, but also called out Stephen A. Smith for reporting false information following the ESPN analyst’s latest tirade.
This now makes it a second diatribe in two days that Smith has been publicly called out for reporting inaccurate information obtained from his “sources.” Smith was also called up by Stefon Diggs on Monday after he claimed the Bills want WR out of Buffalo.
A day later, the 55-year-old received another angry backlash after claiming that Ball still struggles with knee problems and even struggles to ‘get up from a sitting position’.
But in a video posted to X (fka Twitter), Ball yelled, “Stephen A., who are your sources, man? Please tell me who your sources are. Come on man.
“Come on, man, you need to stop yapping. And I really like you man. I don’t even know you’re like that, but I like you. I’ll be back, man, come on.’
Lonzo Ball posted a video calling out Stephen A. Smith for an inaccurate report on his health
Ball has been out of action since January 14, 2022 due to injury problems with his knee
During the video, captioned “@stephenasmith, come to the actual source next time. I’m not hard to reach.’ Ball stood up vigorously and sat down, noticeably putting weight only on his left leg.
The sounds of multi-Grammy-nominated rapper Gunna’s song “f**umean” could also be heard in the background in what was certainly an attempt to emphasize his message – or at least for those in the know were of the number.
Earlier in the day, on an episode of ESPN’s “First Take,” Smith continued on one of his daily tangents, including saying, “Those are doctors, something went wrong with the procedures he’s had.”
“I don’t think he will ever be the same, based on what we see, hear and read. I have heard that it is even difficult for him to get up from a sitting position. You can’t play 50, 60, 70 games a year and the postseason.
“It’s sad because with DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, if they had a guy like Lonzo Ball healthy, the Chicago Bulls would be even better than what we’ve seen, so I’m really, really sad for him. I just hope he is eventually blessed enough to regain his health.”
Ball’s ongoing knee problems that have kept him off the field since January 14, 2022 are well documented. The three knee surgeries he underwent in 14 months have even left the Bulls wondering if he’ll ever play again.
The Bulls also filed formal paperwork with the NBA in an effort to recoup $10.2 million for the injured guard through a disabled player exception.
Ball confirmed on Trae Young’s From the Point podcast on Monday that he will miss all of the upcoming season with a knee injury.
The Chicago Bulls have questioned whether Ball will ever be able to play again
“Just take it day by day, mate. I just had a really big surgery, hopefully the last one I ever have to have. It’s a long process. I’m already out next season,” he said.
“When I first got hurt, we didn’t really know what it was. I saw all kinds of doctors and stuff. I just went up and down. That was really hard for me because I just didn’t know what the next day would be like.
‘At least now I’ve had surgery. We have a plan for the future. We were on schedule. I’m on the right track. Hopefully everything will be fine. I just leave it to God and do my best and live with the results.”