Is unrestricted free agent Lonzo Ball calling it quits? Comments he made on a podcast hinted that he was retiring but the second overall pick of the 2017 draft issued a denial on social media on Wednesday.

Speculation ran rampant via a viral tweet posted by Underdog NBA (video link) in which Ball said, “I feel like I gave everything I had to hoop, and I feel like everything I got in my life is because of hoop. I’m grateful to even make it to the league and be able to play for 9 years.”

Moments later, Ball still spoke as if his playing career might be over.

“To be honest, I never felt like I got to my peak. … I still got to make it up there, got to play, put the jersey on, everything I wanted to do as a kid. That was enough for me,” he said.

Ball took his Twitter feed to clarify that he’s still hoping to get signed.

“I retired? News to me lol cuz I’m still waiting for a call… NBA season long,” he wrote.

Ball has been on the market since early February, when the Jazz waived him after acquiring him in a salary-dumping trade by the Cavaliers.

The Cavaliers acquired Ball, who had an expiring $10MM contract, from Chicago last summer in a swap for Isaac Okoro in the hopes that he could provide the team with a reliable replacement for Sixth Man of the Year finalist Ty Jerome, who departed in free agency. However, Ball had a disappointing season in Cleveland, averaging career lows in several categories, including points (4.6) and minutes (20.8) per game, as well as field goal percentage (30.1%) and three-point percentage (27.2%).

Ball missed two full seasons due to persistent knee issues until playing 35 games with Chicago in 2024/25.