“The outside noise does not bother me,” Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball accuses NBA Analyst Stephen Smith of spreading fake news regarding his injury

Recently Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball and NBA Stephen A. Smith got into a heated back-and-forth argument regarding the former’s injury. Smith was very critical of Ball’s injury and he was questioning the validity of the NBA insiders. It was hurtful for Ball, who feels that Smith has a big audience and telling half-baked stories may cause problems for him.

Ball, therefore responded to the tweet as he shared his thoughts in an interaction with NBC Sports Chicago’s KC Johnson. “The outside noise doesn’t bother me,” Ball said. “The Stephen A. thing, he has a wide platform. And to me, I just don’t appreciate when people put out fake news like that, especially someone of his stature that can touch a lot of people.”

It has been frustrating for Ball, who is away from the sport for such a long time. But still, he is positive that he will be back on the court soon. He understands what he needs to do to get fit and is not rushing things only for the sake of it. “For me, I know what I gotta do to get back,” Ball added. “And I’m just on a path doing what I gotta do every day, taking it step-by-step. I don’t look too far ahead. I know in my near future that I will be back on the court for sure.”

The argument between the two was initiated when Stephen A. Smith discussed the severity of Ball’s injury in ESPN’s First Take podcast. He shared how Ball is not able to sit down or stand up from a chair.

However, after hearing this, Ball himself posted a video on X formerly Twitter where he was performing the exact same action to prove Smith wrong. But Smith remained steady with his stance as he responded “You really going to sit poolside on the bench and think because you getting up and sitting down… that makes you healthy? … Bro, you ain’t healthy.”

Since joining the Bulls, Lonzo Ball has played 35 games in the 2021-22 season. He was pretty impressive when he stepped onto the court for them and therefore he signed a four-year contract worth $80 million. However, he suffered an injury on his left knee and has been out for a long time now. He is working really hard to get back on court.

In the 35 games for the Bulls, he averaged 13 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. The Bulls had a positive 22-13 record with Ball on the court. However, he then suffered the injury and was sidelined and their season also crumbled.

They have struggled with their pieces on the roster since Ball’s injury. They don’t have a proper player who can dictate the play on the court. So they will be hoping for his return as soon as possible in the upcoming season.