Ben Simmons is a professional basketball player from Australia. He plays in the National Basketball Association for the Brooklyn Nets. He has also played for the Philadelphia 76ers. Simmons is a three-time NBA All-Star. He was also the NBA Rookie of the Year back in 2018.
Player Profile and Personal Life
Benjamin David Simmons was born on July 20, 1996, in Melbourne, Australia. His father played college basketball for Oklahoma State University in the United States and then moved to play professional basketball in Australia. Simmons’ father coached him in basketball early in life.
At the early age of seven, he began playing basketball and was part of the under-12 basketball team of Lake Macquarie. In addition to basketball, Simmons also played rugby in his childhood hometown and was part of the junior rugby league.
| Team |
Brooklyn Nets
|
| Position | Point Guard |
| Height / weight | 2.08 m / 109 kg |
| Born | 20 Jul 1996 |
| Nationality |
Australia
|
| Playing Style | Left Handed |
| Nickname | The Wizard of Oz |
| Team History | |
|
Brooklyn
|
2022 - present |
Philadelphia
|
2016 - 2022 |
Simmons stands 211 cm and his weight was last listed at 109 kg. He is a point guard and a power forward. He shoots right.
High School, College Career, and International Career
In high school, Simmons played basketball at Box Hill Secondary College in his freshman year. During his sophomore year, he moved to the United States and joined the basketball team of Monteverde Academy in Florida.
He went back to Box Hill after one season but again enrolled in Monteverde during his junior and senior years.
During his senior year, he was recognized as the winner of the Morgan Wootten Award, Gatorade National Player of the Year, and the Naismith Prep Player of the Year. In addition, he was also part of Australia’s national men’s basketball team and was able to earn gold and silver medals during the FIBA Oceana and FIBA World U17 Championships.
Due to his high school basketball achievements, he was ranked as a 5-star recruit by ESPN and was considered the top player in the 2015 class.
He joined Louisiana State University’s Tigers in November 2015. After one year at LSU, Simmons announced his bid for the 2016 NBA Draft. By June 2016, he was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers and became the first college player to be selected as the overall number 1 pick despite not having any experience in the NCAA.
Professional Career
Simmons was the first overall pick of the 2016 NBA Draft, selected by the Philadelphia 76ers.
He made his professional NBA debut in October 2017 after healing from an injury in the entire season of 2016. His season debut allowed him to win the 2018 NBA Rookie of the Year.
In 2019, he was first selected as an NBA All-Star. He would be named an All-Star again in 2020 and 2021. In 2020, he was named to the All-NBA Third Team. In both 2020 and 2021, he was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team.
He left the 76ers in 2022 and signed with the Brooklyn Nets. He debuted for the team in October 2022. In March 2023, he was sidelined from playing following a nerve impingement in his back.
Career Highlights
- 2019–2021 - NBA All-Star
- 2020 - All-NBA Third Team
- 2020, 2021 - NBA All-Defensive First Team
- 2018 - NBA Rookie of the Year
- 2018 - NBA All-Rookie First Team
- 2020 - NBA steals leader
- 2016 - Consensus first-team All-American
- 2016 - USBWA National Freshman of the Year
- 2016 - First-team All-SEC
- 2016 - SEC Freshman of the Year
- 2015 - Mr. Basketball USA
- 2015 - Gatorade National Player of the Year
- 2015 - Naismith Prep Player of the Year
- 2015 - Morgan Wootten National Player of the Year
- 2015 - McDonald’s All-American
- 2015 - First-team Parade All-American
Medal record, Men’s basketball, Representing Australia
- Gold - 2013 FIBA Oceania Championship Australia/New Zealand
- Silver - 2012 FIBA World U17 Championship Lithuania
