Ben Simmons

At 27 years old, Ben Simmons has this physical status:

Benjamin David Simmons (born 20 July 1996) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

He played college basketball for one season with the Louisiana State University (LSU) Tigers, when he was named a consensus first-team All-American and the USBWA National Freshman of the Year.

He was selected with the first overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft by the 76ers.

After sitting out a year due to an injured right foot, he was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2018.

He received his first All-Star selection in 2019. Simmons attended Box Hill Senior Secondary College before moving to the United States to attend Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida.

In his only season in college, LSU began the season with high expectations, but failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.

He left school to enter the NBA draft, becoming the third Melbourne-born number one overall pick (following Andrew Bogut and Kyrie Irving) in 11 years.

Simmons is the son of an American-born father, Dave, who played pro basketball in Australia.

A dual citizen of Australia and the United States, Ben Simmons has played for the Australian national team.

Early life

Simmons was born in the Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy to father Dave and mother Julie. His father is an African-American expatriate who became a naturalised citizen of Australia, and his mother is a white Australian. He was raised alongside five brothers and sisters—Melissa, Emily, Liam, Sean and Olivia—the first four being from his mother's previous marriage. His father played college basketball for Oklahoma City University in the United States before turning professional with the Melbourne Tigers in Australia's National Basketball League in 1989.

Simmons was raised in Newcastle from the age of 18 months while his father played and coached in the city. Simmons began playing basketball at the age of seven in the Newcastle Hunters' under-12 representative team and played two more years for Lake Macquarie and Newcastle. While in Newcastle, he also played junior rugby league.

At age 10, Simmons returned to Melbourne and began playing junior basketball for the Knox Raiders. Along with basketball, he also played Australian rules football at the junior level. In year 7, while attending Whitefriars College, Simmons was named MVP after he helped Whitefriars win the Year-7 Division 1A Basketball premiership.

As a teenager, Simmons was torn between his two loves of basketball and Australian rules football, but he eventually decided to focus on basketball. In year 9, at the age of 15, Simmons played basketball for Box Hill Senior Secondary College at the 2011 Australian Schools Championships before taking up a scholarship at the Australian Institute of Sport in 2012. Later that year, Simmons made his first appearance in the United States at the renowned Pangos All-American Camp for basketball prospects. Despite being only 15 years old, he was chosen to represent Australia at the 2012 FIBA Under-17 World Championship.

Personal life

In the summer of 2018, Simmons' brother Liam resigned his position as assistant coach at the University of California, Riverside, to work with Simmons on improving his shooting game. The decision to hire his brother as his shooting coach was not without controversy or criticism. His sister Emily, a former member of the Washington State University women's rowing team, who has worked for Klutch Sports since 2014, is married to former NFL player Michael Bush. His godfather, David Patrick, was an assistant coach at LSU and was a part of his sole season there and is currently the head coach at UC Riverside. A cousin of Simmons, who had attended the 2016 NBA draft, was killed in a hit-and-run on 25 June 2016 in New Jersey.

In November 2016, Simmons was featured in the Showtime documentary film One & Done, providing an insight into his time as a one-and-done college player, as well as exploring his and his family's thoughts on the NCAA and the NBA's "one and done" rule. On 7 June 2016, Simmons signed an endorsement deal with Nike. Simmons is a supporter of the Essendon Football Club, an Australian rules football team in the Australian Football League.

On 3 October 2020, Simmons announced his endorsement for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for the 2020 United States presidential election. Over the 2021 Christmas holiday, Simmons reportedly became engaged to British television personality Maya Jama. In August 2022, the couple reportedly ended their engagement.

Source

High school career

Simmons took to the United States in January 2013 to compete against boys of similar size and athleticism. He attended Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida, where he quickly began playing. He converted Montverde from a 16-point deficit to defeat St Benedict's 67-65 in the final of the High School National Tournament in April 2013. He returned to Melbourne, where he joined the Bulleen Boomers of the Big V competition in June 2013. He appeared in six Bulleen games while averaging 12.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.3 steals, and 2.3 blocks per game. Simmons opted for Louisiana State University over other offers from Kentucky, Kansas, and Duke on October 14, 2013, opting for LSU over other options from Kentucky, Kansas, and Duke.

Simmons played for Montverde Academy from 2013-2014. Simmons averaged 18.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game on the season, with a shooting of 69 percent from the field and 77 percent from the free throw line. He had 88 blocks as well. Montverde ended the season with a 28-0 record, closing with a 71-62 victory over Oak Hill Academy in the High School National Tournament at Madison Square Garden, rounding out the season with a 28–0 record. Simmons received MVP awards for his 24 points and 12 rebounds. He was named America's top high school junior and was named MVP at the National Basketball Players' Association Top 100 camp following the season.

Simmons received a National Letter of Intent from LSU's basketball coach on November 12, 2014, and he played college basketball for the University. Simmons won by 78–64 over Ivan Rabb and Bishop O'Dowd High School on December 12, 2014, with 22 points, ten rebounds, and 10 assist. Simmons won 62-59 over St. Francis on December 20, 2014, with 37 points and 18 rebounds. Simmons won by 76-57 over Bishop Gorman on January 19, 2015, with 36 points and 9 rebounds.

Simmons was selected as a starter for the East team in the 38th annual McDonald's All-American Game on January 28, 2015. He was named the Morgan Wootten Award winner on March 10 in 2015, a prize that is given annually to the best male McDonald's All-American player who exemplifies exceptional character, displays leadership, and embodies the ideals of being a student-athlete in the classroom and community. He was the second player from a Florida high school to win the award behind Austin Rivers in 2011. After leading the Eagles to a 28–1 record and a berth in the High School National Tournament for the third year in a row, he was named Naismith Prep Player of the Year on 12 March and the Gatorade National Player of the Year on March 24. He averaged 28.20 points, 11.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 2.6 steals per game in 29 regular season games, shooting 70.7 percent from the field and recording 24 double-doubles.

Simmons led Montverde Academy to a third straight High School National Tournament title after winning a 70–61 victory over Oak Hill Academy on April 4th after being in the McDonald's All-American Game on April 1st. After scoring 58 points and 35 rebounds in the three-day tournament, he was named MVP again. In a 103-101 victory over Team USA, he then competed in the 2015 Nike Hoop Summit for the World Team on April 11th, scoring 13 points in a 103–101 victory over Team USA.

Simmons, who was regarded as a five-star recruit by ESPN.com, was named the No. 1 in the No. 104. One power forward and the No. No. In 2015, the country's best player was named No. 1 player.

College career

Simmons started his college career with the LSU Tigers in Australia. Simmons made his LSU debut on August 15th in an 89–75 victory over the Newcastle All-Stars in the first game of LSU's preseason Australia tour. With his double-double of 22 points and ten rebounds, the Tigers dominated the courtroom, where his father played for the Newcastle Basketball Stadium in the late 1990s, he paved the way for his victory. Simmons led the team in all major statistical categories in five games during their five-game Australian tour with a 3–2 record, and over the five games, the Tigers averaged 20 points and nine rebounds per game to lead the team. Simmons, who was back in the United States on the 35th anniversary of the Basketball Yearbook, was named the SEC's Preseason Player of the Year, and the Associated Press named him on the All-America team. He was the second freshman to win the award, joining Julius Randle of Kentucky in 2013, and his All-America team distinction made him just the fourth freshman to be honoured on the preseason team.

Simmons made his college debut in LSU's season opener on Saturday, scoring 11 points and 13 rebounds as a starter in a victory over McNeese State on Friday. In a loss to Marquette on November 23, he helped LSU get off to a 3-1 start before losing by 21 points, 20 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals. In a 119-108 victory over North Florida, he helped LSU snap a three-game losing streak by shooting 43 points, 14 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 steals, and 3 blocks. Shaquille O'Neal had 43 points against Northern Arizona on December 28, 1991, the most for a Tigers player since Shaquille O'Neal had 43 against Northern Arizona. Simmons was dubbed the best all-round player since LeBron James by NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson after a win over Kentucky on January 5th. He was selected to the 35-man midseason watchlist for the Naismith Trophy on February 11, 2012. Simmons came off the bench for the first time after being dropped from LSU's starting lineup for the match against Tennessee due to academic reasons. Simmons was named first-team All-Southeastern Conference and league Freshman of the Year for the 2016 Coaches SEC poll following the conclusion of the regular season. He was also selected to the eight-player All-SEC Freshman squad.

The team's regular season was largely dismissed as a disappointment. After being ranked No. 2 in the world of charts, Honda is the No. 1 in the United States. LSU finished the regular season with an 18–13 record, with 11–7 in SEC play, leading to the top 25 vote in the preseason.

Simmons was the fourth seed in the 2016 SEC tournament and helped LSU (18–13) defeat Tennessee (18–13) advance to the semi-finals where they will meet first-seeded Texas A&M. As Simmons was unable to lead the Tigers to an NCAA tournament berth, LSU dropped out of the tournament with a 70–38 loss to the Aggies. Simmons played in 33 games with 32 starts during the 2015–16 season. In 34.9 minutes per game, he led the team in all major statistical categories except three-point and free throw shootings, with averages of 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, 2.0 steals, and 0.8 blocks. He was fourth in points, first in rebounds, third in field goal percentage, fifth in assists, and second in steals in the SEC.

Following the announcement of the NCAA tournament, LSU's head coach Johnny Jones announced that the team would not participate in any postseason tournament. Simmons called out for the 2016 NBA draft on March 21, 2016, forgoing his final three years of college eligibility. He dropped out of school at the end of the season and plans to move to Phoenix, Arizona right away in anticipation of the NBA draft. He also signed with American sports corporation Klutch Sports, which is mainly owned by Rich Paul.

Professional career

A number of NBA media analysts challenged Simmons' character and character in the week leading up to the 2016 NBA draft. Brett Brown, the former Australian national team coach and a friend of the Simmons family, denied the allegations and was happy with Simmons' pre-draft conduct. He was selected by Brown and the 76ers as the third overall pick in the 2016 draft, his third Melbourne-born number one overall pick in 11 years (Andrew Bogut in 2005 and Kyrie Irving in 2011). Despite not participating in the NCAA tournament, he was the first college player to be selected with the first overall pick in the modern era.

Simmons signed his rookie scale with the 76ers on July 3rd and joined the team for the 2016 NBA Summer League. Simmons was praised for his court knowledge and passing skills for a big man despite shooting the ball poorly in his first three Summer League games. In six Summer League games, he averaged 10.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game, and was selected in the All-Las Vegas Summer League First Team.

Simmons rolled his right ankle during the 76ers' last training camp scrimmage on September 30, 2016. Simmons fractured the fifth metatarsal bone of his right foot on X-ray and MRI findings, causing him to miss three to four months. After testing revealed that his broken right foot had not fully recovered, he was ruled out for the entire 2016–17 NBA season on February 24th.

After a complete season on the sidelines, several pundits doubted his vigor, fitness, and scoring prowess, with only a chance for Rookie of the Year. Simmons had 18 points and ten rebounds in his NBA debut on October 18th, 2017, against the Washington Wizards in a 120-115 season-opening loss. Simmons' third game, on October 21st, saw 18 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists in a 128-94 loss to the Toronto Raptors, with Oscar Robertson as the only NBA player to ever to score 10-plus points, 10-plus rebounds, and 5-plus assists in their first three NBA games. Simmons won 97–86 over the Detroit Pistons, his first career triple-double, with 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists, becoming the third rookie since Robertson (1960) and Art Williams (1967) to record a triple-double in his first four games. He went on to become the first NBA player to start a season with at least 170 points, 100 rebounds, and 80 assists in his team's first ten games. In an 118-113 victory over the Wizards on 29 November, he had 31 points and a career-high 18 rebounds. Philadelphia's 76ers defeated the Chicago Bulls by 116-115 on February 22nd, with him scoring a career-high 32 points and two free throws with 5.6 seconds remaining to snap the team's rally from five points down in the final minute. Simmons earned his second straight triple-double against the New York Knicks on March 15, beating Robertson and Magic Johnson as the third rookie in NBA history to reach 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, and 500 assists. His triple-double against the Knicks was his eighth appearance of the season, ranking second for most triple-doubles in a rookie season, behind only Robertson (26). Simmons, the Charlotte Hornets' third rookie to have 0 turnovers in a triple-double game, had 11 points, 12 rebounds, and 15 assists on March 19th. In a 120-108 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 24, he recorded his 10th triple-double of the season with 15 points, 12 rebounds, and 13 assists. In a 123–104 win over the Denver Nuggets, he had 11 assists, defeating Allen Iverson (567) to set the team's rookie record for assists on February 26. In a 132–130 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, he had 27 points, 15 rebounds, and 13 assists, leading the 76ers to their 13th straight victory. For games played Monday 2nd to Sunday 8th, he was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the games played on Monday 2nd, April 2nd to Sunday 8th. The 76ers won their 15th straight victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday, with Simmons scoring 13 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists in their penultimate game of the regular season. The 76ers won their 16th straight victory to earn the Eastern Conference's No. 4 spot during the regular season. In the playoffs, the three seed will advance to the playoffs. The team's record of 52-29 was their highest team record since 2001, when they went 56-26. Simmons was named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for games played in March and April, his third month in a row and the fourth time overall.

Simmons had 17 points, 14 assists, and nine rebounds in his NBA debut against the Miami Heat in game 1 of the 76ers' first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat. Simmons put the 76ers up 3-1 in game 4 with 17 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists. He was the first rookie since Magic Johnson in 1980 to have a triple-double in the playoffs, and he became the fifth rookie with a triple-double in the playoffs, alongside Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry Lucas, and Tom Gola. Simmons led the 76ers to a 4–1 loss of the Heat as he scored 14 points and ten rebounds in a 104-91 victory in game 5. In the second round of a 114–112 loss, the 76ers went on to lose in five games to the Boston Celtics, with Simmons scoring 18 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Simmons was named NBA Rookie of the Year and received NBA All-Rookie First Team honors at the end of the season.

Simmons revealed in September 2018 that he began working to develop his shooting with his brother Liam Tribe-Simmons, former assistant coach for the University of California, Riverside Highlanders men's basketball team, and Southwest Baptist Bearcats men's basketball team, and will continue to do so for the remainder of the season. Simmons, the 76ers' season opener, scored 19 points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists in a 105-87 loss to the Boston Celtics on October 16th. In a 127–108 victory over the Chicago Bulls, he had a triple-double, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists. With 2:34 left in the third, he reached his 13th triple-double in his career, becoming the first Sixer to ever receive one in a home opener. In a 132-127 victory over the Phoenix Suns on January 2, he scored 29 points. In a 106–100 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on January 5, he recorded his sixth triple-double of the season, with 20 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists. In a 123-121 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on 11 January, he had 23 points, 15 assists, and 10 rebounds. In a 108-105 victory over the New York Knicks, he had 20 points, 22 rebounds, and nine assists. Simmons, with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 assists against the Minnesota Timberwolves on January 15, he became the second fastest NBA player to reach 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, and 1,000 assists, behind only Oscar Robertson. Simmons reached this milestone in 125 games, which is 9 games faster than Magic Johnson and 33 games faster than LeBron James. In a 122–120 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Monday, he had 21 points, 15 assists, and ten rebounds. He earned his first All-Star selection as an Eastern Conference reserve on January 31, becoming the first Australian to be honoured. In a 108-104 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, he recorded his ninth triple-double of the season on February 28th, with 11 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists. In a 120-117 loss to the Golden State Warriors, he had 25 points, 15 rebounds, and 11 assists. Simmons scored 18 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds in game two of the 76ers' first-round playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets, leading Philadelphia to a 145–123 victory. Simmons had a postseason high 31 points on 11-of-13 shooting in a 131-115 victory over the Nets, putting the 76ers up 2–1 in the series.

Simmons scored 24 points on 68 percent shooting and eight rebounds in a 107-93 victory over the Boston Celtics in the NBA season opener. Simmons won 115-104 over the San Antonio Spurs on November 22nd, his first triple-double of the season and his 24th of his career. Simmons scored a career-high 34 points in a 141-94 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, which included his second NBA career three-pointer. Simmons scored yet another triple-double this season, as well as a career-high 17 assists in a victory over the Detroit Pistons on December 23rd.

Simmons, 34 points and 12 assists, as a result of a 117-111 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on January 20, 2021. Simmons was announced on January 30th with his second All-Star appearance. In a Team LeBron victory, Simmons was drafted by Team LeBron and went on to score 17 points, 5 assists, and 6 rebounds. Simmons missed the game against the Milwaukee Bucks in February 22nd with a apparent lower back injury. Simmons had a nerve impingement in his lower back, and the team listed him as "out for a lengthy period of time." Simmons was out early on the NBA before returning to action due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Simmons returned to play in August 2020 as a result of a loss to the Indiana Pacers on August 1st, where he scored 19 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 rebounds. Simmons was forced to miss the playoffs due to a knee injury, and the 76ers were defeated 4–0 by the Boston Celtics, and Simmons was unable to return to action.

Simmons was the 2020 NBA steals leader, and he was invited to the All-NBA Third Team and the NBA All-Defensive First Team at the end of the season.

Simmons had a career-high 42 points and 12 assists in a 134-123 loss to the Utah Jazz on February 15, 2021. He finished the season with 14.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game.

Simmons struggled at the free-throw line in the playoffs, becoming the worst free-throw shooter in postseason history with at least 67 attempts (34.2 percent), toping both Wilt Chamberlain (34.4 percent) and Shaquille O'Neal (34.4 percent). Simmons was put into a lot of skepticism after losing in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday due to his inability to shoot and lack of offensive capability. Simmons did not attempt a single shot in the final quarter of five games, which many attributed to his lack of confidence in shooting free throws. Against the Hawks, he averaged 9.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 8.6 assists per game, and 8.6 percent from the field, with a 60 percent free throw line.

Joel Embiid cited Simmons' decision to forfeit an open dunk as the game's turning point. Rivers asked 76ers coach Doc Rivers if Simmons could be a point guard on a championship team, and Rivers replied: "I don't even know how to answer that right now."

Simmons, despite being on four years late on his deal, decided in August 2021 that he no longer wanted to be a member of the team, in reaction to this and other factors. He denied his plans to be traded and stated that he was prepared to miss training camp to satisfy his trade request. Simmons and Company had already stated that his play did not correlate well with that of Embiid's, and that their time as teammates had shortened. Simmons' holdout and trade calls were "borderline... disrespectful" to the team, according to Emiid's public remarks in response, and that team leadership had developed rosters around Simmons.

Simmons, as he had predicted, had skipped training camp. He did not participate in the preseason, nor did he even list his Philadelphia home on the market for $3.1 million. The 76ers organisation reportedly withholding and putting in escrow $8.25 million that would have otherwise been owed to him on October 1, representing a quarter of the $31.59 million owed to him for the 2021–22 season.

Simmons returned to the team on October 11, 2021. Simmons was pulled out of practice by Rivers multiple times to substitute into a drill, and the 76ers suspended him for one game against the New Orleans Pelicans due to behavior that was offensive to the team. Simmons had been fined $1.4 million for missing four preseason games, missed workouts, on-court workouts, and meetings. After Simmons told the 76ers that his absence was due to a mental health condition, team members stopped fining him, but later returned the fines to him after he continued to refuse to cooperate with them. Simmons became the most-fined player in NBA history thanks to repeated fines for missed games, with reports claiming he had surpassed $10 million by the end of 2021. Simmons' fines were limited in January 2022 in response to him attending team meetings and training sessions, but the 76ers continued to discipline him for missing games. Simmons pleaded with him nearly $20 million in salary withheld from him by the 76ers, and the two teams agreed in August 2022 for an undisclosed sum.

Simmons, Andre Drummond, Seth Curry, and two other potential first-round picks were traded to the Brooklyn Nets on February 10th, 2022, for James Harden and Paul Millsap. Simmons was diagnosed with a herniated disk in his back on March 21st. Nets head coach Steve Nash suspended Simmons for the remainder of the regular season and the play-in tournament on April 4th. Simmons is expected to make his season debut against the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of the playoffs on April 21. With the Nets losing a landslide to the Celtics in Game 4, the Nets announced on April 24 that he would not participate in Game 4 due to back soreness. The Nets lost the game, effectively banishing them from the playoffs. He underwent back surgery on May 5th.

Simmons made his preseason debut on October 3rd, 2022, putting up six points, five assists, and four rebounds in a 127-108 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Simmons played in his first appearance on a regular season in 2022, bringing up four points, five rebounds, and five assists before fouling out in a 130-108 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.

National team career

Simmons competed for Australia under the 2012 FIBA Under-17 World Championship, winning the team's silver medal and helping the team win a bronze medal. Simmons' tournament highlights included a 26-point, 10-rebound, 5-steal victory over the Czech Republic. Simmons made his senior debut for Australia against New Zealand in 2013 FIBA Oceania Championship, a year after being in the Australian Boomers camp ahead of the Sino-Australia Challenge. He later earned four total points in the two-game sequence and was a member of Australia's gold medalist team.

Simmons was drafted into the Boomers' extended squad for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in July 2014, but he was later dropped from the team because he did not make the final 12-man roster. Simmons expressed his desire to represent Australia at the 2016 Summer Olympics in August 2015 and said he was aiming for a gold. Simmons decided not to attend the Rio Olympics in order to concentrate on his rookie season in the NBA in April. Simmons announced on May 15th that he would represent Australia in the 2019 FIBA World Cup and multiple exhibition games against Canada and the United States. Simmons revealed in July 2019 that he would not play for the Australian national team in 2019, citing "professional obligations" as the reason.

Simmons made it clear in October 2017 that he intended to represent Australia at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo; however, he pulled out of the Australian Olympic squad in order to focus on improving his shooting skills for the 2021–22 NBA season.

Source