Ben Simmons is still leaving the door open on an NBA comeback, and he’s not exactly being shy about it.
The former Brooklyn Nets guard has been dropping hints for more than a year that he wants to keep his career going, and his latest Instagram post made that message pretty clear. With a basketball hoop in the background, Simmons wrote, "I wouldn’t change the story.
The highs, the lows, the pain, the time, the lessons. I embrace all of it.
Every chapter built something in me that I couldn’t have built any other way," and followed it up with, "Grateful for where I’ve been. Proud of where I stand.
Ready for wherever this goes."
Simmons last appeared in the NBA during the 2024-25 season, splitting time with the Nets and Los Angeles Clippers. He’s now trying to work his way back into a league that will need to see value in what he still brings, along with comfort in whatever time away from the game means for him.
There may already be some traction there. On Sunday, NBA insider Marc J.
Spears reported, "NBA free agent forward Ben Simmons is expected to be a full participant with “zeros restrictions” in a player-led Aussie men’s national team mini-camp in Melbourne beginning Monday, sources to andscape," and noted that at least one interested team is in the Western Conference. Spears did not name the teams.
Simmons, 30, has career averages of 13.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game while shooting 55.8% from the field and 13.9% from three-point range. In Brooklyn, where he spent parts of three seasons, he averaged 6.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 6.3 assists while shooting 56.2% from the floor, all while dealing with knee and back injuries.
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What happens next feels like one of the more important storylines in Brooklyns rebuild, because this class is no longer just a bundle of promising names. The organization is expected to evaluate the group again next season and decide who fits the long-term picture, with the possibility that not every rookie will still be part of the franchise by the time those choices come into focus. [Read more 🡒]