The overall trajectory of Ben Simmons’ professional playing career is going to make for an interesting documentary one day. Philadelphia’s first overall pick in 2016 made an All-NBA team in 2020 and his third All-Star team in 2021. Then, he infamously passed up a wide-open dunk in the 2021 playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks, with the Sixers going on to lose the game and the series. Simmons would sit out the next season with a back injury, and transitioned to life as a role player across the last
three seasons in Brooklyn and Los Angeles with the Clippers.
A role player may not be what Simmons wants to be anymore. Per reporting by Stefan Bondy, who covers the New York Knicks for the New York Post, Simmons may not even want to play in the NBA next season. From the article:
“Ben Simmons has generated interest from the Knicks and another team but is also questioning whether he even wants to continue playing in the NBA next season, The Post has learned.
The former All-Star and Rookie of the Year, who has struggled recently with injuries and handling the public pressures of the league, is an option for the Knicks because of his upside as an elite defender and athlete to fill their backup point guard spot, a league source said.
However, Simmons, who has accumulated DNPs the past few seasons, and over $200 million in career earnings, is sending a message that he isn’t sure “if he wants to continue,” another source added.“
It may seem crazy to us for a 29-year-old like Simmons to pass up on the prospect of a $3.6 million veteran’s minimum salary. But as Bondy notes, Simmons has made a ton of money already playing in the NBA, not to mention endorsement deals. If he has had a competent financial planner, he’s already set for life and will make much more than that $3 million or so already each year by way of interest and capital gains. If he doesn’t want to spend his entire life practicing and playing basketball, then he really doesn’t need to do so.
To me, Ben never came across as a ‘Ball is Life’ kind of guy, but more like the sort of person who was very talented at something so he followed that path to achieve the corresponding fame and riches (not calling him out for that, it’s a completely reasonable thing that nearly any of us would do if given the chance). Plus, back issues are no picnic, and maybe playing through any pain or discomfort in that area isn’t worth it. If it actually comes to pass that Simmons doesn’t play another NBA game, I won’t be completely surprised. I will be watching the documentary someday though.
