Top things to know
- Ben Simmons tore his right Achilles tendon during a live drill at Sacramento Kings practice, the team said.
- The injury occurred three days before the Kings' season opener against the Los Angeles Clippers.
- Simmons will undergo surgery and is expected to miss the entire season.
- The 30-year-old signed a one-year deal with Sacramento last month after sitting out all of last season.
- Simmons said on Instagram that the injury is 'another chapter in my journey, not the end of my story.'
Ben Simmons will undergo surgery after tearing his right Achilles tendon during a live drill at Sacramento Kings practice, the team confirmed, ending his latest NBA comeback attempt just days before the new season begins.
The injury occurred three days before Sacramento's season opener against the Los Angeles Clippers. An MRI scan revealed the tear, and the 30-year-old Australian is expected to miss the entire season, according to reports.
Simmons signed a one-year deal with the Kings last month in an attempt to revive a career that had been derailed by a series of significant injuries and mental health concerns over the past five years. He had shown promising signs during the pre-season, including a productive 26-minute outing in Sacramento's loss to San Antonio, and had drawn public backing from NBA figures including Dwight Howard, Dirk Nowitzki and Blake Griffin.
In a statement posted to Instagram, Simmons struck a defiant tone. "I've faced challenges before that tested me mentally, physically, and emotionally, and I've found a way through every single one of them," he wrote. "This injury is another chapter in my journey, not the end of my story." He added: "It's never easy being away from the game I love, especially after everything it took to get back here. But if there's one thing I've learned, it's that adversity doesn't define you. How you respond to it does."
The former No 1 draft pick was named Rookie of the Year and made three All-Star teams before his career stalled. He sat out the 2021-22 season with the Philadelphia 76ers while dealing with mental health concerns and physical injuries, then spent two-and-a-half injury-riddled seasons with the Brooklyn Nets before finishing the 2024-25 campaign with the Clippers. He was cut at the end of that season and sat out all of last season, leading critics to question whether he had lost his love for basketball. He rejected those claims after signing with Sacramento and was expected to play a key role for the rebuilding Kings.
Simmons's durability has declined sharply since his early years. After playing 81 of 82 regular-season games in his rookie season, he has not appeared in more than 60 games in a season since 2018-19, and he managed just 50 in his most recent NBA campaign. In an ESPN documentary, he addressed his critics directly: "All these people talk about I don't love the game. That's bullshit. I've played through the injuries. I've broken my foot, I've rehabbed, I've had multiple back surgeries. I've been through it all."
The Kings open their season against the Clippers in Los Angeles, with the NBA regular season tipping off earlier in the week. Sacramento will now begin the campaign without the veteran they had hoped would anchor their rebuild.