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Fallen basketball star Ben Simmons has been urged to resurrect his career back home in Australia in a late bid to fulfil his ambition of representing the Boomers at the Olympics in LA.
Simmons, 29, did not play in the NBA this season, and has successfully turned to professional sport fishing, where he owns the South Florida Sails.
David Patrick, Simmons’ godfather and an assistant coach of the Boomers, recently said the three-time NBA All-Star had unfinished business with the Australian side, and was keen to get to the Olympics.
Basketball great Andrew Gaze said playmaker Simmons, who has battled back issues, needed to return to the court soon if he wanted to be considered for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, and was adamant he had the tools required to lead an NBL team.
“If he has the desire, then there’s no doubt in my mind, he’s still a guy in his late 20s, that he could play at a high level,” Gaze said.
“He’s an NBA All-Star and, provided his body is in the right shape, and he’s comfortable where he’s at, then, I think this [NBL] would be a great platform for him to come back and continue his career in basketball. He’s a superstar. He would dominate this competition.”
Simmons has not represented Australia at the senior level since his maiden outing as a teenager at the 2013 FIBA Oceania Championships, but Patrick revealed the 2016 NBA No.1 draft pick had Olympic aspirations.
“I know there’s a lot of talk about him: ‘Oh, can he shoot the perimeter shot well enough?’,” Gaze said.
“[But he is] a guy that we can equate to Magic Johnson-type skills.
“That’s the sort of talent we’d love to have here in Australia. Hopefully, that can come to fruition as well.”
Simmons does not have a manager, having parted ways with his previous agent after he opted not to accept a one-year veteran minimum’s contract with the New York Knicks this season.
NBL sources, wishing to speak anonymously, said Simmons would be welcomed into the Australian comp, but he needed to express interest in joining the league before discussions could begin. One club owner, wishing to speak anonymously, said Simmons would be a major drawcard.
Patrick recently told the Cut to the Jase podcast: “Believe it or not, he [Simmons] wants to wear it [Australian singlet] and I think the Olympics is kind of his goal.
“As he’s got older and matured, like all of us do, I think that’s one thing he hasn’t ticked off the box, playing for his country … I think he’s on track to trying to get healthy mentally and physically, and I think it’s something that he will try to do moving forward.”
Simmons signed a five-year, $250 million contract with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2019, but physical and mental health battles and a falling out with the franchise led to the one-time defensive ace being traded to the Brooklyn Nets, then waived and signed by the Los Angeles Clippers, before becoming a free agent.
He averaged 13.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game through his career, but managed only five three-pointers, highlighting his perimeter-shooting issues.
