How Lonzo Ball’s freak injuries and return are shockingly similar to Joel Embiid’s knee situation

After missing over 2.5 years, Lonzo Ball finally returned to NBA action this season, but it hasn’t been pretty. After countless freak knee injuries and not even being able to walk, it seemed unsure if Ball would ever be the same or even be able to play basketball anymore.

Sound familiar Sixer fans? I know how brutal it was all those years we never thought Joel Embiid would even make his debut, let alone be an MVP in this league. While these players’ stories are very similar, Lonzo’s causes of injuries are completely different.

A huge feature on Lonzo Ball was published on ESPN, and it is worth reading about how Lonzo managed to make his NBA return with the Bulls after everything appeared to be exposed, but what stood out was his description of the “Big Baller Brand” shoe designed by his father LaVar Ball, and how that could have impacted his NBA injuries.

Ball’s first edition of the shoe, which he attempted to wear during the 2017 Summer League, was so bad that his manager had to travel to a local Foot Locker and would buy shoes off the shelf every day rather than wearing BBBs.

What the hell was going on? As a lifelong Ball family fan and Lavar advocate, I am shocked, to say the least. Lavar was always promoting Big Baller Brand and often would push for his sons to promote and wear the brand as well, despite them preferring to wear Nike or other basketball shoes.

WATCH: Back in a 2019 podcast, Lonzo Ball Goes OFF about his BBB shoes

Lonzo Ball just went off about his Big Baller Brand shoes LMFAO pic.twitter.com/hdnxdZ4Lz4

— Troydan (@Troydan) September 4, 2019

“They were like kickball shoes,” Ball said.

During the time Lonzo was preparing for his NBA debut, his father had his mind focused on building the brand. Lavar reached an agreement with Sketchers to produce the first batch of the BBB shoes coming at a hefty price of $450.

That’s right $450!?!? This was the price for a pair of basketball shoes that may have cost his own son severe injuries. Lonzo suffered his first knee injury back in January of 2018, which was only a few months into his career.

“I think it’s a possibility for sure, to be honest with you,” Ball said. “I wasn’t really getting hurt like that until I started wearing them.”

Well, this is alarming and while it is not confirmed or known if these shoes caused these injuries it sure is a sad story. Lonzo Ball is still young and has many years left in his career. It it just a shame to see another promising talent have to suffer due to freak injuries.

How the Joel Embiid situation is similar

Dr. Brian Sutterer recently went full savage on how teams handle injury updates for their stars. Sutterer is a sports medicine guru and YouTube’s go-to doc for breaking down injuries, and apparently, the guy who’s had enough.

Talking about Joel Embiid and this whole “nowhere close to return” drama, Sutterer didn’t hold back. “I’m so tired of teams painting an overly optimistic picture of their players’ recoveries,” he said. Translation: Stop lying to the fans and just tell us how bad it really is.

Because he wasn’t done roasting yet, Sutterer brought up Lonzo Ball as Exhibit A. “We were told over and over that Lonzo would fully recover, and now the guy’s had a meniscus and cartilage transplant. Like, come on. Now Sixers fans are in the same boat with Embiid. It’s frustrating, but the writing’s been on the wall for a while,” he added.

Embiid’s knees are always going to be a concern. Dude’s been dealing with meniscus tears, and every time that happens, the cushioning in the joint takes another hit. Less cushioning means more cartilage damage, which means swelling, pain, and a whole lot of “this ain’t going away anytime soon.” Managing that as a professional athlete? Nightmare fuel.

I can’t imagine having to deal with not just the physical toll but the mental toll this has probably taken on Joel. One thing’s for sure, the guy is a warrior, and while you may be frustrated with the very inconsistent messaging from the Sixers and Embiid; you can’t question his toughness and dedication.

We must appreciate him while he’s here, because when he’s healthy and on the court, he’s arguably the best basketball player in the world.

Sixers Sunday Simulcast: Maxey’s triple-double, Joel Embiid’s return, and a 108-100 win over the Chicago Bulls

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