Lonzo Ball meets family of man who donated knee cartilage

FILE–Lonzo Ball #2 of the Chicago Bulls in action durign an NBA game. Luke Hales/Getty Images/AFP 

CHICAGO– Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball got to meet the family of the man who donated the knee cartilage he received in a transplant two years ago.

Ball signed jerseys and took pictures prior to Wednesday’s game against the Miami Heat with the mother, father, an older and a younger brother, and soon-to-be sister-in-law of the late Alex Reinhardt of Dakota Dunes, South Dakota, who died at age 20 in late February 2023. The meeting near the Bulls’ bench was an emotional moment for Angie Reinhardt, Alex’s mother.

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“It’s been extremely emotional,” she said. “So much happiness comes with it, too. All of the people that are donor recipients of Alex’s, we’re just blessed. We’ve had mothers from some people that have said things. Now we get to meet Lonzo. It’s just a blessing to be able to watch people do well with their knees or anything because of Alex. Of course, we wish he was here.”

Angie Reinhardt described her son as someone who “liked to do everything fast,” whether he was skiing or tubing. He played football and wrestled in high school, too.

She said the family got a call from the donor network saying an athlete who received some of Alex’s tissue was interested in meeting the family. A few weeks later, they found out the recipient was Ball. The meeting came together soon after that.

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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 — his first in Chicago. He has played in 35 games after missing the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. Ball was unavailable on Wednesday due to a sprained right wrist.

“To be able to keep helping people after his death really feels like a blessing to all of us,” Angie Reinhardt said.