NBA star Lonzo Ball made his first appearance in nearly three years after recovering from multiple knee surgeries.

Chicago Bulls point guard Ball scored 10 points in 15 minutes in the Bulls’ 125-123 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday.

Ball, 26, also registered an assist, a steal and a block in his first appearance since Jan. 14, 2022.

“It felt a lot better playing than watching, I’ll say that,” said Ball, who was limited to 16 minutes of playing time.

“I can’t even really put into words how I felt there.”

Ball underwent a cartilage and meniscus transplant in his left knee in March 2023, his third knee surgery in just over a year.

He also received a bone allograft, a procedure in which the replacement bone comes from someone else.

Ball said on his What an Experience, external podcast that the problems started when he tore his meniscus in 2018 while playing for the Los Angeles Lakers.

On Wednesday, Ball said he was “moving great” and that his knee was “not bothering him at all.”

Ball will start the season on a minutes restriction and will not play games on consecutive days.

He is expected to appear in the Bulls’ final game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday before their season opener against the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday.

“I had a goal to get back on the field,” Ball said. “I know it was a long journey, a long process, but it all paid off because this is what I was looking forward to. I’m just glad it’s here now. I can finally go out and do what I love do.

“There were a lot of people who helped me get here, not just myself. Just to see the crowds and all the love I get from the city, man, there’s no way you can replicate that. And it’s real. “

Ball was selected by the Lakers with the second overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

He was traded to the Pelicans in 2019 before a sign-and-trade deal brought him to Chicago before the 2021-22 season.