Chicago Bulls fans apparently don’t need to write the final chapter of the Lonzo Ball era just yet.
Ball directly denied that he retired from the NBA on September 23 after reports and social-media posts declaring the former Bulls guard’s career over began circulating online.
“I retired? News to me lol cuz I’m still waiting for a call… NBA season long,” Ball wrote on X.
So, no. Lonzo Ball has not announced his retirement.
The rumor did not stay confined to random social-media accounts. Athlon Sports published a story Wednesday stating that Ball’s NBA career was over and that he had announced his retirement at age 28. Multiple other outlets jumped on the unconfirmed rumor, pulling a snippet from the podcast BallinThe FamPod and running wild with it.
“”I feel like I gave everything I had to hoop, and I feel like everything I got in my life is because of hoop. I’m grateful to even make it to the league and be able to play for 9 years,” Ball said on the podcast.
Ball’s response made his position considerably less complicated: He still wants to play.
Lonzo Ball Comments Sparked Retirement Reports
The confusion appears to have started with comments from Ball reflecting on his career, particularly the injuries that prevented him from becoming the player he envisioned.
“It wasn’t as hard as probably people would think, only because I felt like I never short changed the game,” Ball said in the remarks cited by Athlon. “I feel like I gave everything I had to hoop.”
Ball also said he did not believe he ever reached his peak and spoke about being grateful simply to have reached the NBA. Many outlets interpreted those retrospective comments as Ball announcing the end of his career.
There was one problem: Ball apparently wasn’t retiring. Nor did he ever say he was.
His subsequent response on X was unusually definitive for a story built around ambiguity. Ball said he remains “waiting for a call,” which makes his current status that of an unsigned veteran seeking another NBA opportunity, not a retired player.
Ball’s comments appear around the 57-minute-mark, chaptered on YouTube as “Lonzo Updates.”
Lonzo Ball Is a Free Agent After Cavaliers Stint
Ball last played for the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2025-26 season.
Cleveland acquired him from Chicago in July 2025 in exchange for Isaac Okoro, ending Ball’s four-year Bulls tenure. The Cavaliers later sent Ball to the Utah Jazz in a three-team trade in February 2026, with Utah expected to waive him and allow him to become a free agent.
Ball averaged 4.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists with Cleveland.
Those aren’t numbers that guarantee another NBA contract. Neither are they a retirement announcement.
Ball’s health history also helps explain why Wednesday’s rumor gained traction so quickly.
He suffered a left-knee injury during his first season with Chicago and eventually underwent a cartilage and meniscus transplant in March 2023 after previous procedures failed to solve the problem. Ball missed the entire 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons before returning for the Bulls in 2024-25.
That comeback was remarkable on its own. Ball played 35 games for Chicago in 2024-25 and averaged 7.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists before a right-wrist injury ended his season.
Why Ball’s Future Still Matters to Bulls Fans
Ball’s Chicago career remains one of the franchise’s biggest recent what-ifs.
The Bulls signed him in 2021 to organize an offense built around Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic. His size, passing and defense helped give that roster a dimension Chicago never really recreated after his knee injury.
Ball eventually made it back to an NBA floor after more than 1,000 days away. Now the question is different.
Not whether he can come back.
Whether anybody calls.
For the moment, Ball says he’s still waiting.
And that means retirement will have to wait, too.
Did Lonzo Ball Retire? Former Bulls Star Clears up Rumors