Ben Simmons has set off another round of comeback chatter, and this time it came from his own Instagram story.
The former Philadelphia 76ers guard and three-time All-Star has been out of the league since the 2024-25 season, with his last game coming for the Los Angeles Clippers in their first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets in 2025. After he sat out the entire 2025-26 season, it looked as though his NBA run might be finished. Simmons, now 30, had spent much of the past year recovering and chasing hobbies like fishing, which only added to the sense that basketball had slipped into the background.
But rumors have recently tied him to a possible return with the 76ers on a one-year, veteran minimum deal, and that speculation got a boost when Simmons posted a story showing multiple basketball sneakers. The image may have been nothing more than a casual shoe haul, but the timing was impossible to ignore with his name already back in the rumor mill.
The three pairs shown in the photo were the Nike G.T. Future, Nike Book 2, and Nike LeBron 23 “Old Glory.”
Simmons has worn Nike for most of his career, so the post could simply have been a new pickup. Still, the appearance of LeBron James’ signature shoe, especially with the 76ers connection in the air, is the kind of detail that gets people talking.
Simmons’ case has always been complicated. He’s been criticized for injuries and what many have seen as shaky mental toughness, but at his best he was a special player. In his early Philadelphia years, he established himself as an elite passer and slasher, and even without a reliable perimeter shot, his versatility and athleticism made him a franchise centerpiece.
That changed once injuries started piling up. His production fell off sharply, and eventually he was moved on from Philadelphia. Even then, he still managed to help as a floor general and defensive anchor, just not at the level that once made him a star.
His final NBA season produced 5.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 0.7 steals per game, numbers that never quite matched the expectations that came with his reputation. Still, there’s an argument that he could fill a useful role in the right setting.
A few teams outside of Philadelphia reportedly had interest in signing Simmons last season, but his unwillingness to take a minimum contract cost him both a season of game action and, eventually, his agent after he ghosted the Knicks. If he really is aiming for another NBA shot, the path back would require him to give something up. Whether he’s willing to do that remains the big question.
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