Ben Simmons is set to make a return to the NBA after putting his basketball career on hold for almost a year, signing a one-year, $3.5million deal with the Sacramento Kings ahead of the 2026-27 season, ESPN reported on Friday.
The 30-year-old Australian guard, who has battled a number of injury woes and mental health struggles throughout his career, stepped away from the sport last year. He purchased a controlling share in the South Florida Sails Angling Club, part of the Sport Fishing Championship.
He is now poised to ditch the boat for the court, set to play his first NBA game since the end of the 2024-25 season. He last featured in the league with the Los Angeles Clippers, appearing in 18 games for the franchise at the end of that campaign, though in a limited bench role, averaging three points, four rebounds and three assists per game.
Kings look to rebuild
Simmons now adds veteran experience to a Kings roster looking to bounce back from a 22-60 season. Sacramento drafted Darius Acuff Jr. out of Arkansas with the No. 7 pick in this year's draft as part of that rebuilding effort.
From All-Star to journeyman
Simmons was the first overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft out of Louisiana State and went on to become a three-time All-Star with the Philadelphia 76ers. Injuries, shooting issues and other struggles later derailed his career with the Brooklyn Nets and the Clippers.
A detour into fishing
Simmons has not appeared to struggle with the same setbacks on the water. "It's a very niche sport," he told Andscape of his fishing endeavors. "And if you don't know, you don't know. But once you experience it and get out there and see what it's about, you're kind of in awe of what the sport is. And that's just something I've always been interested in in terms of the sport of fishing."
"The technique. And there's so much to it that people just don't understand," he said. "These guys are fishing on million-dollar vessels, and they're out for days at a time. So, it's tedious and gritty, but a lot of fun. It's one of those worlds where you just got to kind of experience it, get into it and see what it's about."
