THE OPERATIONS TEAM at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport knows how to handle snow. With more than 250 pieces of snow removal equipment, they can clear paths in even the most difficult conditions for the planes to keep flying. Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball headed to the airport in the middle of one of those storms. Light rain earlier in the day had turned to snow. Wind gusts approached 20 mph. It was the afternoon of Feb. 16, 2023.
Over the All-Star break, Ball had decided to fly to Salt Lake City to undergo a nerve-block procedure to cut off the pain signals piercing through his knee.