It’s been nearly three years, but Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball finally returned to the court for the first time since suffering a knee injury in Jan. 2022 as the Bulls defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 125-123 in the 2024 NBA preseason.

The former UCLA Bruins standout went through a long rehab process that saw him undergo three different surgeries, one of which was a cartilage transplant, causing him to miss the last 2.5 seasons of NBA basketball.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James understands how much Ball went through to make his return to the league. After his first game back, James took to Instagram to send a message to the No. 2 pick in the 2017 NBA draft.

“So damn proud of you man!!!” he wrote on his Instagram story with multiple different emojis.

In his first game back, Ball saw 15 minutes of action and didn’t skip a beat, hitting his first few shots, including a three-pointer 40 seconds after entering the contest. Ball finished with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting, a rebound, an assist, a steal and a block. He also had a plus/minus of +6, the highest from Chicago’s bench.

Earlier this year, Ball picked up the fourth and final year of his four-year, $80M contract, giving fans a hint at his upcoming comeback. Before he got hurt, Ball was the starting point guard on the 2021-22 Bulls squad. But now, he will likely take a backseat as Coby White has emerged as Chicago’s starter.

After spending two years with the Los Angeles Lakers, Ball was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans as part of the Anthony Davis deal, which helped James get his fourth ring. Ball was traded again in 2021 from New Orleans to Chicago. Throughout his NBA career, Ball has averaged 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game.