Simmons Cleared for Australia Minicamp
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- Ben Simmons will join Australia's player-led private minicamp in Melbourne starting Monday with "zero restrictions," per a source who spoke with ESPN Andscape.
- The 30-year-old free agent sat out all of the 2025-26 NBA season to recover from back and other injuries; his last NBA stint was 18 regular-season games plus five playoff games with the LA Clippers after signing in February 2025, having been waived by the Brooklyn Nets.
- Several NBA teams have expressed interest in Simmons, who is open to a minimum contract; one source said a Western Conference team has a non-guaranteed offer on the table.
- David Patrick, Simmons' godfather, an Arizona State assistant and Australian national team assistant coach, told Andscape that 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 the Boomers at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics after skipping the prior three Games.
- The 2016 No. 1 overall pick and four-time All-Star has not played more than 60 games in a season since 2018-19, with injuries derailing a career that included 2018 Rookie of the Year and two All-Defensive first-team selections.
- In December 2025, Simmons purchased a 50% majority stake in the South Florida Sails Angling Club, which competes in the Sport Fishing Championship, becoming the team's controlling operator.
Why it matters: Simmons' full participation marks the first on-court step toward his stated 2028 Olympic goal, while Western Conference minimum-contract interest — far below his former All-Star peak — quantifies how far his market has fallen since injuries limited him to under 60 games per season since 2018-19.
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