Practicing again, and without limits
Ben Simmons is on a basketball court again, and this time nothing is holding him back. ESPN Andscape reported late Sunday that the former No. 1 overall pick is training with “zero restrictions” and wants back in the NBA. He turned 30 last month. He sat out the entire 2025-26 season while his back and a string of other injuries healed.
Right now he is in Melbourne, taking part in a player-led minicamp with the Australian national team. He paid his own way to get there after spending most of the offseason working out in Miami, where he lives.
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Teams are already circling
The interest is real. Several NBA teams have checked in, according to the report, and Simmons is open to signing for the minimum. One Western Conference club already has a non-guaranteed offer on the table. For a three-time All-Star and two-time All-Defensive pick, a minimum deal says plenty about how far the injuries dragged him down.
His last real NBA action came with the Los Angeles Clippers, 18 games across March and April of 2025. He has not topped 58 games in a season since 2018-19.
The bigger target
There is a longer game here too. Simmons wants to suit up for Australia at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, and a healthy NBA season would be the fastest route back to that stage. Drafted first by Philadelphia in 2016 out of LSU, he sat out a year with a foot injury, then won Rookie of the Year in 2017-18. Across 383 career games with the 76ers, Brooklyn Nets and Clippers he has averaged 13.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.5 steals. The passing and the defense never left him. Whether the body cooperates is the only question that matters now.
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