Former Lakers prodigy forced to deny NBA retirement rumors after misleading post
Former Lakers prodigy forced to deny NBA retirement rumors after misleading post
Jeremy GoldsteinWed, September 23, 2026 at 6:20 PM UTC
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Lonzo Ball revealed he's still keen on playing in the NBA -Credit:Getty Images
Lonzo Ball used the past tense when speaking about his NBA career on the most recent episode of his Ball in the Family podcast alongside guest Gilbert Arenas.
A brief clip in which the 28-year-old seemed to tease his retirement was shared incorrectly on X by an aggregator account, leading some to believe that the oft-injured Ball had, in fact, announced his retirement from the NBA.
This forced Ball, the 2017 No. 2 pick by the Los Angeles Lakers, to hop onto X himself and share the truth. "I retired? News to me lol cuz I’m still waiting for a call… NBA season long," he tweeted, adding a shrug emoji.
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Ball is not currently on a roster. He played 35 games last year with the Cleveland Cavaliers in a backup point guard role for a team fresh off a 64-18 season.
He was far from his best, shooting just 30.1 percent from the field in 20.8 minutes per game, averaging 4.6 points and 3.9 assists. Cleveland traded for Dennis Schroeder at the deadline and sent Ball to the Jazz to open up a roster spot and clear salary.
Ball spoke in depth on the podcast about how injuries stripped away his potential.
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In 2022, he underwent an arthroscopic debridement procedure while in the midst of the best season of his career with the top-seeded Chicago Bulls. He missed the following two full NBA campaigns.
He averaged a career high 14.6 points with the New Orleans Pelicans in 2020-21, two years after the Lakers traded him as part of a package for Anthony Davis.
"I'm grateful to even make it to the league and even play for nine years," he told a crowded set also featuring his brother LiAngelo and host Josiah Johnson.
Lonzo Ball spent half of last season with the Cleveland Cavaliers
"To be honest, I don’t think I ever got to my peak, and damn, that s--- sucks, but at the same time there’s people that don’t have meals at night to eat," Ball continued.
"That’s how I look at the world. I still got to make it up there and play and put the jersey on and do everything I wanted to do as a kid."
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The account Keeno on X quoted the Ball talking about missing his peak and added a note wrongly confirming that the ex-Lakers star retired.
"Lonzo Ball confirms he’s officially done with basketball while reflecting on his NBA career and everything he went through with injuries," the misleading tweet read.
Source: “AOL Sports”
