One of the biggest moves the Sacramento Kings made during the offseason was taking a chance on former All-Star Ben Simmons, who missed all of the 2025-26 season to focus on rehabilitation recovering from lingering injuries in his back and knees.
His resurgence was profiled by ESPN in their E60 series "Being Ben," a 60-minute in-depth documentary that goes behind the scenes into Simmons' thoughts and emotions upon his return to the NBA and overcoming past wounds.
The documentary, hosted by ESPN's Andscape senior writer Marc Spears, premiered on ESPN on Sunday, Oct. 18 at 4 p.m. ET. The a non-fiction motion picture took a peak into Simmons' life away from the NBA, how he's processed his career up to this point and what he has been up to during his time away.
Simmons was a free agent before choosing to commit to Sacramento, and there was tremendous interest in his comeback story. However, all the excitement for the documentary's release was derailed just hours later when the Kings announced Simmons tore his right Achilles' tendon during a live practice drill – likely ending his season before it even began.
Spears told USA TODAY in a phone interview that he spoke to Simmons a day before the documentary aired and that he was excited for the film. Spears said the injury occurred "likely, probably within the hour" before the documentary debuted.
"It's sad because after people watched it, I think it sets in and the resonation with it was extremely strong and people are feeling it and digging it." Spears said. "And then all of a sudden you just get this gut punch after you just watch this documentary of what just happened to Ben."
The Kings will continue to honor his contract; so Simmons' $3.5 million is still guaranteed, which means he won't have to go through rehabilitation alone. He'll have the support of the Kings organization.
Members of the organization voice support
The Kings are certainly distressed about Simmons' injury but have pledged their support in his rehab journey.
Kings rookie guard Darius Acuff Jr. told reporters that losing Simmons is "bad news" and "changes a lot" but provided words of encouragement and suppport him.
"We're all here for him. We his brothers," Acuff said. "We just want to continue this journey for him. He got us with him through everything. He has a family in us. Just really praying for him and hope everything goes well."
Kings head coach Doug Christie was about to make Simmons a captain. He worked his way into the starting lineup during the preseason after he was initially projected as the backup point guard to Acuff.
Christie called the injury a "gut punch" to the team.
"We all love Ben and (we're) going to support Ben," Christie said. "A part of it is this is sports and that's where we have to come in here and be the breath underneath their wings to lift them. We'll be there for him. He'll be there for us as we work our way through it."
Guard Malik Monk summed up it the best, saying the team was obviously upset about the news.
"It definitely wasn't supposed to happen that way with all the work that he put in just to come back," Monk told reporters Monday, Oct. 19. "For him to not even make it to the regular-season, we're just bummed out for him. I feel like everybody is."
The Kings have had their injury list grow rapidly before they even could play a regular-season game. Monk has an ankle injury he's slowly coming back from. Maxime Raynaud is recovering from a knee injury he suffered in a preseason game against the Golden State Warriors. Dylan Cardwell had to get a tooth replacement early in training camp.
"The Kings right now, it's one thing that have some injuries through the course of the season, but all these injuries before you even play one game is certainly debilitating to the team, no pun intended," Spears said.
Simmons' doc still offers pleny of intrigue
Simmons' injury could not have come at a worst time. He was just getting into basketball form. Christie was looking at making him a starter, naming him a captain and it appeared the Simmons comeback was alive and well.
Now that comeback is delayed for presumably another year.
"He felt like he got his super cape back," Spears said. "He was mentally healthy, physically healthy. And I also think he was much stronger than he's ever been. People, I think, forget that, he's all of 6-foot-10 and I think he probably put on about 20 pounds of muscle at least from the last time he played. So, it was great to see him with his physical and mentals back, like see what he could potentially be."
Spears believed that Simmons was as good as, if not, better than anybody on the Kings during the limited stints he had during preseason. There was "certainly a reason to be excited about him and what he was doing," Spears said.
"I think the city of Sacramento and their fans weren't the only ones that seemed like they we're rooting for him," Spears told USA TODAY. "It seemed like NBA fans all over the world were rooting for him. I mean, he's still going to have his haters. You know, that that doesn't change, but I think he had a lot more love than he did hate and a lot of people were rooting for him."
Simmons was entering his eighth NBA season and his first season with the Kings. He has career averages of 15.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 8.2 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.9 blocks per game.
Although his preseason numbers were a shell of that, it was the potential to get back to his previous form that provided excitement in California's capital. Still, despite Simmons season coming to an abrupt end, Spears says there's still power in the ESPN film documenting Simmons' trials and tribulations.
"I really hope that Ben's injury doesn't dissuade anybody from watching this E60," Spears said. "I'm really really proud of it. I think it's extremely great and people will learn a lot about him. He's pretty unapologetic and not really trying to like sway how everybody may feel about him. I think he's just being himself. I think what's next for Ben is, it's just not over.
"There is a next for Ben. He's only 30," Spears added. "I think it's important to like check out this documentary to learn more about him and who knows, maybe we decide to add a chapter, to the next chapter of Ben Simmons. He's gonna stay in Sacramento and rehab with the support of the franchise. So, again, he's not doing alone. Um, But I think it just makes his story, this latest pitfall for him even more intriguing because before the injury, just looked like the guy that you saw in Philly, but what more confidence with his shot. I'll be really excited to see where he comes from here."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How Ben Simmons' Achilles injury derailed his NBA comeback and intriguing documentary