ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith says NBA star Lonzo Ball is still ‘not healthy’ despite Bulls guard posting video of himself testing out his surgically repaired knee amid growing concern over the injury

Stephen A. Smith’s back and forth with Lonzo Ball continued Wednesday with the ESPN host insisting the Chicago Bulls point guard still faces a lengthy comeback from left knee surgery.

Ball hasn’t played since January 14, 2022 and is still recovering from his third knee operation in a little over a year. And while the team announced in May that he no longer requires crutches, the 25-year-old Ball is not expected to play in the 2023-24 season.

Smith seized upon this news on ESPN earlier this week, claiming a source told him that Ball is still struggling to ‘get up from the sitting position.’

Ball rejected that report on Tuesday and posted a video of himself standing and sitting repeatedly while putting all of his weight on his surgically repaired left leg.

Stephen A. Smith’s back and forth with Lonzo Ball continued Wednesday with the ESPN host insisting the Chicago Bulls point guard still faces a lengthy comeback from left knee surgery

Smith responded Wednesday, telling Ball that his social media video falls short of proving he’s healthy.

‘You really going to sit poolside on the bench and think because you getting up and sitting down… that makes you healthy?’ Smith asked, rhetorically. ‘Does that have anything to do with running up and down the court for 30, 35 minutes a night?’

Smith went on to reveal that he has a cracked patella tendon in his knee, which allows him to do some light running, but prevents him from playing basketball.

‘I still got a six-inch screw in my knee,’ Smith said. ‘If I go out on a basketball court, and I play for 20 or 30 minutes, I got to ice my damn knee and I don’t feel like playing for another month. Does that mean that I’m healthy?

‘Bro, you ain’t healthy,’ he continued. ‘You’ve missed about 48 percent of your games and you’re only four years into your career.

‘And on top of it all, you would think, that since you missed all of last season, and 47 games the season before that, and you’re scheduled to miss games until the new year this upcoming season, that you wouldn’t make a video proclaiming that you’re healthy.’

The online kerfuffle was fueled, in part, by Smith’s online critics, who took pleasure in seeing his anonymously sourced report being debunked by Ball. In his social media post on Tuesday, the Bulls star told Smith ‘come to the actual source next time,’ adding that he’s ‘not hard to reach.’

Ball has been out of action since January 14, 2022 due to injury problems with his left knee

But Smith was unmoved, and instead asked Bulls fans if they think Ball is ready to return.

‘The answer would be ‘no,’ Smith continued.

Smith did stress that he’s rooting for Ball, whom he professes to like.

Ball, the older brother of Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo, has two seasons remaining on his contract, including his player option for the 2024-25 season. Assuming Ball picks up that option, the Bulls will owe him around $42 million over the next two seasons.