Chicago – The Guard of Bulls Lonzo Ball met the family of the man who donated the knee cartilage he received in a transplant two years ago.
Ball signed shirts and took photos before the 119-111 victory on Wednesday over the Miami Heat with the mother, the father, an older brother and a younger brother, and the sister-in Alex
“It has been extremely emotional,” he said. “So much happiness comes with that. All people who are receptors of Alex donors, are only blessed. We have had mothers of some people who have said things. Now we can meet Lonzo. It’s just a blessing to see people do it well with their knees or anything by Alex. Of course, we would like it to be here.”
Angie Reinhardt described her son as someone who liked to do everything fast “, whether he was skiing or tubing. He also competed in football and wrestling in high school.
She said the family received a call from the donor network that said that an athlete who received Alex’s fabric was interested in meeting the family. A few weeks later, they discovered that the recipient was the ball. The meeting joined shortly after that.
Ball underwent a meniscus and cartilage transplant in his left knee in March 2023 after several procedures failed to fix an injury he suffered during the 2021-22 season, the first in Chicago. It has been set aside since the beginning of March due to a right-wrist sprain, but has played in 35 games this season after being out of the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.
“Being able to continue helping people after their death really feels like a blessing for all of us,” said Angie Reinhardt.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
