Ben Simmons is making noise again, and this time it sounds like a comeback.
The three-time NBA All-Star has been out of action since the 2024-25 season, when he put up 2.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game while shooting 43.4% from the field. For a player once viewed as one of the league’s brightest young talents, the fall has been steep. His time since leaving the 76ers has been marked by decline, and his exit last year felt like the end of a difficult chapter.
For a while, it was fair to wonder whether Simmons would ever suit up in the NBA again. He had cited mental health struggles, and the road back looked uncertain.
But over the weekend, he gave the strongest hint yet that he’s preparing for another run. On Instagram, he posted a photo of himself flexing in front of a hoop and paired it with a message that made the point clear.
“I wouldn’t change the story,” Simmons wrote in the caption. “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. Grateful for where I’ve been.
Proud of where I stand. Ready for wherever this goes.”
The image doesn’t tell us much about where he was shooting, but it does show a player who looks confident about what comes next. And for Simmons, that matters.
Getting back to the league is one thing. Staying there after everything he’s been through is another.
His career started with massive expectations. As the No. 1 pick in 2016, Simmons was compared to names like Magic Johnson and LeBron James. In those early Philadelphia seasons, he looked like he could become exactly that kind of force - a big, versatile playmaker who could defend and create at a high level.
Then came the breakup with the 76ers after four active seasons, followed by a trade out of town and a long slide in his game. The shot never came around, and his confidence appeared to fade along with it, with injuries only making the climb back harder.
Still, the comeback talk is real, and the 76ers are reportedly in the mix. With a new roster and a new front office, a return to Philadelphia would be a very different experience for Simmons.
It would also give him a shot to repair the story in the place where it all started. At 30, he is still young enough that physical decline doesn’t have to define him yet.
If he landed on a roster with LeBron James, Tyrese Maxey, V.J. Edgecombe, and former teammate Joel Embiid, Simmons could offer real value as a bench piece. His defense, playmaking, and ball handling would give a team useful depth and flexibility.
Whether it ends up being the 76ers or somebody else, Simmons appears set on forcing his way back into the league. After all the setbacks, even trying is a statement. Now comes the harder part: proving he still belongs.
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