Ben Simmons joins Australia minicamp, eyes NBA return
SkimNews Take
A player-led national team camp offers a controlled, low-stakes venue for Simmons to demonstrate readiness before any NBA franchise commits a roster spot to him.
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- Ben Simmons is expected to be a full participant with 'zero restrictions' at a player-led private minicamp for Australia's men's basketball team beginning Monday in Melbourne, according to ESPN Andscape.
- Simmons sat out the entire 2025-26 NBA season to recover from back and other injuries; his last NBA stint was 18 regular-season games plus 5 playoff games for the LA Clippers after being waived by the Brooklyn Nets.
- Several NBA teams have expressed interest in the 30-year-old free agent, who is open to a minimum contract and has a non-guaranteed offer on the table from a Western Conference team.
- David Patrick, Simmons' godfather and an Arizona State/Boomers assistant, told Andscape Simmons has regained his athleticism while training primarily in Miami.
- Simmons, a Melbourne native who paid his own way to the minicamp, hopes to represent Australia at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics after skipping the prior three Games.
- Injuries have derailed Simmons' career — the 2016 No. 1 pick and 2018 Rookie of the Year hasn't played more than 60 games in a season since 2018-19, despite three straight All-Star nods from 2019 to 2021.
- In December 2025, Simmons purchased a 50% majority stake in the South Florida Sails Angling Club, a Sport Fishing Championship team, becoming its controlling operator.
Why it matters: Simmons hasn't cleared 60 games since 2018-19, so a clean, unrestricted minicamp is the first credible signal that teams can evaluate his actual athleticism rather than his medical file — and at minimum-contract money, the downside for any interested Western Conference club is essentially zero if the knee/back don't hold up in training camp.
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