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Over the past few weeks, there has been plenty of chatter around three-time NBA All-Star Ben Simmons and his next stop on the hardwood. The 29-year-old, who has 422 NBA games to his name, hasn’t featured in a basketball game since the end of the 2024-25 season with the Los Angeles Clippers. The latest to weigh in on the future of the 2016 first overall Draft pick isAustralian basketball icon Andrew Gaze. "He's an interesting prospect. If he has the desire, then there's no doubt in my mind, it's still a guy in his late 20s that he could play at a high level,” Gaze told NBL Media. “He's an NBA All-Star, and provided his body is in the right shape and he's comfortable where he's at, he would dominate this competition. “[He’s] a 6’10 point guard, a guy that we can equate to Magic Johnson type skills. “I think this [League] would be a great platform for him to come back and continue his career in basketball. He's a superstar.”
This comes after 2001 NBL champion Damon Lowery called on NBL teams to pick up the phone and reach out to the 2020 All-NBA Third Team selection. “To all your NBL GMs out there, I know you love basketball, but do you love it enough to reach out to Ben and see how he’s doing?” Lowery said on Instagram. “[Because] what if a healthy Ben Simmons showed up in NBL27? Can you imagine? It would be carnage. “Who going to guard him? Because he could guard everyone. “He would win MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the same year.”
Ben Simmons is now a champion ... in sportfishing. On Sunday, the South Florida Sails captured the Sport Fishing Championship Blue Marlin Open at Walker's Cay in the Bahamas. Helping South Florida to the title was none other than Simmons, a co-owner and angler for the club. Better known for his NBA career, Simmons was taken by the Philadelphia 76ers with the first pick in the 2016 draft and went on to play seven seasons in the league.
South Florida first surged atop the leaderboard on the event's first day, when angler Alex Stanley released a blue marlin, worth 450 points -- the first of the 2026 SFC season. Another blue marlin release by Stanley later in the afternoon helped the Sails end Day 1 in first place. A dominant Saturday saw South Florida build a commanding lead, and the Sails secured the win on Sunday's Day 3. The club finished the event with 2,925 points, almost 1,500 points clear of the second-place New Jersey Sea Birds.
Around the league, Tyronn Lue is widely regarded as one of the NBA’s top coaches, as cited in the league’s annual general manager survey. His players buy in quickly. They arrive enthusiastic, energized to play for one of the league’s most respected coaches. They talk about his feel for the game, his ability to connect and why they trust him. But that same identity has produced a reoccurring pattern: At point guard in particular, those relationships have rarely lasted. In recent years, a steady stream of veteran guards have passed through the LA Clippers, drawn by Lue’s leadership and the promise of playing in his system. The list is long: Rajon Rondo, Eric Bledsoe, John Wall, Russell Westbrook, Ben Simmons. Each player has different résumés and expectations — and, in most cases, similar endings: quiet departures with little sense of closure.
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The ESPN personality Smith went viral during Tuesday's episode of "First Take" over his comments about the former NBA All-Star forward Simmons. During a discussion about the Los Angeles Lakers' poor perimeter shooting, Smith quipped, "They ain't quite Ben Simmons." When questioned by his co-hosts as to why he had brought up a player who was no longer in the NBA, Smith promptly went in Simmons. "As long as 'First Take' is in existence, Ben Simmons will catch strays," said Smith. "I ain't apologizing for it to a damn soul. There is no bigger thief in the history of the NBA than that man. "If Ben Simmons runs near a basketball arena, he should be arrested," Smith added.
Tired of playing hurt, Ben Simmons said he decided against signing with another NBA team in the offseason, opting instead for an extended rehab effort meant to restore his health in time to return to the league either later this season or before the 2026-27 campaign. “I’m about to be 30 years old, and I need to make the best decision for Ben Simmons,” he said. “It’s not fun going out there, not being able to move, not be able to jump, or, you know, take hits. There’s no fun in that. Sometimes you got to make a decision with how you feel and what’s best for yourself. And that’s what I’ve done, and it’s not for everybody to really understand, because they’re not in my shoes.”
Before he attempts another comeback, Simmons said he is training in Los Angeles with the goal of becoming “bulletproof” to avoid further setbacks. He also said his shot finally feels good and that he can now take a simple hook shot without any discomfort. Injuries, of course, weren’t the only reason Simmons’ career stalled. After the Philadelphia 76ers denied his trade request before the 2021 season, Simmons skipped training camp and wound up missing the entire season.
Are you putting any timeframe on a return? Ben Simmons: Yeah, I’m looking maybe halfway through this year, if not next season. Yeah, it just depends how far I can come along in that next month or so. But I’m feeling great. I haven’t had any setbacks.
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Ben Simmons: I can’t play this game or give what I can if mentally and physically I’m not there. And the physical part is what it’s been for the last two years. I feel like I’m really turning a corner now, which has been a blessing because I don’t think people really understood the last couple of years for me. You really want to do something, your mind is there, but your body can’t physically do it, which is tough. It’s a frustrating thing to go through. But I’ve been through it before. It’s just staying steady and continuing to work, but I have to slow down.
Ben Simmons: I feel like I’ve been through so much and experienced so much that I’m excited for the future and what that holds. I just feel like I’m always wanting to do more and more. And people don’t understand that because I don’t talk about it or anything like that. And I’m not huge online in terms of my voice and what I’m saying. But I’m always wanting to do more and just build and do things that I’m passionate about.
He also became just the fourth rookie since 1977–78 to record consecutive games of at least 15 points and 10 assists while committing one or fewer turnovers, joining Ben Simmons, Raymond Felton, and Mark Jackson. Each of those guards went on to become full-time NBA starters, underscoring the historical weight of Nembhard’s accomplishment.
