Injury-stricken Lonzo Ball breaks shackles and makes first dunk in over 3 years 

The injury bug has bitten Lonzo Ball since he joined the Chicago Bulls in 2021. On Wednesday, many were delighted to see Ball make his first dunk in three years.

Late in the third quarter of the loss to the Washington Wizards, Ball made a steal and then sprinted to the basket for the easy dunk. A clip of the play was posted by ClutchPoints on X/Twitter:

Whether via a career-threatening knee injury or other minor injuries, Ball has been sidelined during the majority of his time with the Bulls. Per Basketball Reference, since arriving in Chicago via sign-and-trade in 2021, he has only appeared in 50 games, including Wednesday's loss. Ball has missed two entire seasons.

This year, he has already appeared in 15 games off the bench on a minutes restriction. He is averaging 18.2 minutes per game and has been producing career lows across the board. Ball is in the final year of his four-year, $80 million contract, and he hopes he can increase his production sooner rather than later.

Lonzo Ball on his role with Chicago this season

During the 2021-22 season, Lonzo Ball started all 35 games he played with the Chicago Bulls. Coming off injuries, Ball noted that he would be comfortable coming off the bench and that he would have no problem in whatever role would be given to him by coach Billy Donovan.

Speaking to the Chicago Tribune's Julia Poe, Ball explained his thoughts:

"I can do a lot in 20 minutes," Ball said. "Obviously, I want to play more, but we’ve got to be smart. It’s gonna be a slow process. I knew that. I just want to play.”

On Dec. 27, while featuring on the "Gil's Arena," podcast, Ball addressed the issue and added the discussions being made by the Bulls' medical team.

"It’s a blessing first and foremost just being able to play…But honestly, man, it's a week-by-week process,” Ball said.

“We don't want to play one night 35 minutes, and then I'm out for the next two weeks. If I could just keep playing 20 and keep being productive on the court and doing my thing with the minutes I have and I got no problem coming off the bench man and just trying to help the team out,” he added.

Every step that Lonzo Ball makes from here on out will be crucial for his young NBA career, especially as he will be an unrestricted free agent in 2025.