Ben Simmons is back in the NBA as a member of the Sacramento Kings, and on Monday at Media Day, he let everyone know any mention of him not loving the game should be put to rest.
“All these people talk about I don’t love the game – that’s bullshit. I love this game. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have taken that year to focus on myself and get back to where I’m at,” he said.
The 6’10’’ point guard took last season off to rehabilitate from injuries. He said he didn’t touch a basketball for the whole year or watch games, instead focusing on getting his body and mind right.
When asked about getting back to the player he was at his peak, he confidently stated: “Yeah, I’m there. He’s there. He woke up.”
At his peak, from 2018-2020 with the Philadelphia 76ers, Simmons was averaging near a triple double making All Star teams and one of the best defensive players in the league. From 2022 through the 2024-25 season, it was a much different story – the move to Brooklyn, injuries, less production, fewer minutes, and the spotlight that remained.
Simmons career arc now moves into a phase of potential redemption at age 30, but he knows the expectations even at this stage of his career with the Sacramento Kings will remain.
“There isn’t and then there always is. And that’s what comes with being Ben Simmons,” he said.
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