Ben Simmons‘ comeback has ended before it could even get started. On Sunday the Sacramento Kings announced that Simmons had torn his right Achilles tendon in practice, days before the regular season begins. The news was broken by Mark Stein.
After a year away from basketball, Simmons had played himself into a position to not only be part of the Kings’ rotation, but was expected to start the team’s season-opener. So this is not just horrible news for Simmons, but equally bad news for the Kings who just lost a starter three days before the season starts.
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The Kings say an MRI has confirmed a torn right Achilles for Ben Simmons: https://t.co/BzDhKPag4e
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) October 18, 2026
Simmons last played for the Los Angeles Clippers during the ’24-’25 season. He had averaged 2.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 18 games with the Clippers. He sat out last season.
Simmons, who is now 30-years-old, was the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA draft. He missed the ’16-’17 season, which would have been his rookie season, with a foot injury. Then he won Rookie of the Year and became an All-Star with the Philadelphia 76ers. He missed the entire ’21-’22 season with a back injury as he waited for a trade.
The Australian star has played just 108 regular season games over the last five calendar years. He spent time with the Brooklyn Nets and Clippers before taking up fishing professionally.
Simmons insisted throughout his comeback that he wanted to play basketball. However you feel about Simmons, it’s brutal to see his comeback end like this.
The Kings will open their season against the Clippers on Wednesday.
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