The curse of Ben Simmons: he tears his Achilles just when he was about to play again after a year and a half
The Australian Kings player will miss the season that is about to begin
The reputation of being a cursed player continues to haunt Ben Simmons . He has not played a game since April 13, 2025. He was about to do so. And now that he was seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, there is a setback on the way out: he has torn the Achilles tendon in his right leg. He will undergo surgery and, almost certainly, will miss the entire season that is about to begin.
In previous summers, social media used to fill up with videos of Simmons working on his shot, the one that has tormented him throughout his entire NBA career: a 13.9% success rate, going just 5/36 in 383 games. This time, without needing to show his poor shooting mechanics, he seemed ready for a return after overcoming his physical problems.
At 30 years old, the Kings had made room for him on their roster and he had made a very good impression in training camp. Also in the two preseason games played, in which he averaged 10.5 points in 17.5 minutes. He will not make his regular-season debut. A devastating injury during a five-on-five practice is a new blow for the Australian player.
"I have already faced challenges that tested me mentally, physically, and emotionally, and I have found a way to overcome them all. This injury is just another chapter in my journey, not the end of my story," Simmons explained in a statement after the injury became known. "It is never easy to be away from the sport I love, especially after everything it took for me to get back here, but if there is one thing I have learned, it is that adversity does not define you. What defines you is how you respond to it," the player concluded.
The No.1 pick in the 2016 draft
Simmons, the No. 1 pick in the 2016 draft selected by the Sixers , already missed his first NBA season due to a foot injury. After the 2017-18 season, he was named Rookie of the Year after averaging 15.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 8.2 assists, and 1.7 steals. While in Philadelphia, he made the All-Star team three times and was included twice in the NBA All-Defensive First Team.
His relationship with the Sixers deteriorated to the extreme after the 2021 playoffs. The team lost in the Eastern Conference semifinals and Simmons was marked by several plays in which he passed up shots. Coach Doc Rivers and star Joel Embiid leveled criticism at him. The following season, Simmons claimed mental health issues and stayed away from practices. The franchise fined him numerous times and he was suspended in October 2021.
He missed the entire 21-22 season because of that rebellion and back problems. He ended up being traded to the Nets, where his situation did not improve much. Physical problems kept following him. Since then, his most games in a single campaign are the 51 he played in 24-25 between the Brooklyn franchise and the Clippers , where he was sent. His last game was in April of last year. He was about to return to the court and goes down again. Simmons is cursed.
