Ben Simmons: A close retirement?
There was a time when Ben Simmons represented the future of the NBA… First choice of the 2016 draft, the 2m08 leader, rookie of the year with the Philadelphia 76ers, triple All-Star, the strong leader/winger was considered one of the great people in the world that is basketball. A defensive unicorn, capable of dynamiting transitions and making her teammates shine. But that time seems far away. Very far. Today, Simmons finds himself at the most perilous crossing of his career, between medical uncertainty, eroded reputation and icy market.
A market without lessee
Summer has revealed the harsh reality. The Knicks offered him a one -year contract at least a veteran. The Celtics, seduced by the idea of adding an elite defensive option, could not offer more. Simmons said no, hoping better. But this better has never come. The market, for the moment, turns his back on him.
For a player who has long been presented as one of the faces of the league, the fall is brutal. Not so long ago, he was still supposed to be the future of Philadelphia. Today, he just searches for a front door.
The decline of a prodigy
The injuries have done their work. Back operations, repeated absences, and above all, confidence at half mast. The figures are clear: his attempts to shoot by 36 minutes melted, going from 13.2 in his rookie season to 7.2 last year. With the nets then the clippers in 2024-25, he capped at 5 points on average, 5.6 assists and 4.7 rebounds. Stats that now belong to rotation, not to a star.
As if that were not enough, his longtime agent, Bernie Lee, ended their collaboration last week. A symbolic break, which almost sounds like an alarm: even those around him seem to doubt. And behind the scenes, the opinions are cold. An NBA leader, interviewed by Hoops Wire, said: “I believe that his NBA career is over. »»
Redemption or end of the course?
Simmons is not over yet. His raw talent is still there: his size, his sense of pass, his multi-position defense. But the whole challenge is there: reinventing yourself. Give a useful player again without the pressure to be the central room. Accept a secondary role, work your weaknesses, find a niche in a workforce.
Large redemptions exist in the NBA. We saw careers reborn after touching the bottom. But they require total humility and determination. Is Simmons ready for this turn?
Press time
The 2025-26 season is approaching, and Simmons still does not have a team. Time plays against him, and every week without a contract keeps the idea of a return to the foreground a little more. If he still wants to write a new chapter, he will have to do it quickly, and with new lucidity.
The story of Ben Simmons is already made of contrasts: from the summits of the All-Star Game to the lowlands of the free agents market. But remains a burning question: is this story over, or are we only at the start of the act of redemption?
