Former No. 1 pick Ben Simmons teases NBA comeback with cryptic message
Former No. 1 draft pick Ben Simmons seemingly teased his NBA comeback with a cryptic message and a shirtless photo of himself flexing on the basketball court.
“I wouldn’t change the story,” Simmons wrote in his Instagram message. “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,” he wrote.
Simmons last suited up for the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2024-25 season, playing in 17 games. He averaged 2.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in 16.4 minutes per game.
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The Australian basketball star was famously the Philadelphia 76ers‘ No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. After sitting out his first season with injury, he went on to win the 2018 Rookie of the Year.
By selecting Simmons first overall, Philadelphia also passed up future All-Stars Brandon Ingram, Jaylen Brown, and Jamal Murray in that same draft.
Brown and Murray have each won a championship with the teams that drafted them. Murray’s came in 2023 with the Denver Nuggets, and Brown became a champion in 2024 when he was named NBA Finals MVP for the Boston Celtics.
And ironically enough, the 76ers landed Brown in a blockbuster trade with the Celtics this offseason after passing on him 10 years ago in that same draft.
While Simmons hasn’t won any championships, he’s a three-time NBA All-Star and two-time NBA All-Defensive First Team selection during his career. While he recently played for the Clippers and previously with the Brooklyn Nets, he’s achieved most of his career-best averages with the 76ers.
Simmons became a free agent after his 2024-25 season with the Clippers, but didn’t play for any teams last season. Based on his recent Instagram post, a comeback could occur if a team decides that he could make a meaningful contribution to their roster.
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