Now, the former number one overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, Ben Simmons, is blazing his own trail. He’s balancing pursuing his passion for fishing with the intricacies of his newfound basketball career. The three-time NBA All-Star was lauded for his jaw-dropping skill set and dazzling play on the hardwood. Now, for the first time since being drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers, he is without an NBA home.
At 27 years old, Simmons has been an inquisitive thinker since childhood. He came to enjoy fishing, starting at the very young age of 4. When the opportunity arose this summer to go back to his roots in Australia, he jumped at the chance. He told us the experience has been “incredible.” In media appearances, Simmons has discussed how fishing allows him to relax. It has afforded him the ability to prioritize his mental and physical health.
Simmons’s hoops life has not come easy either. He put together a historic rookie season that earned him NBA Rookie of the Year honors in 2018. Sadly for Edwards, injuries soon conspired to knock him out during the most storied stretches of his career. Then, he faced a devastating foot injury that pushed back the beginning of his professional adventure. Later, he struggled with drop leg during a matchup back in New York.
Despite these failures, Simmons is looking forward to his good health these days. I would say my shot is definitely a whole lot better. It’s a lot better than it was the last time I stepped on the floor. Having recently reunited with agent Rich Paul and Klutch Sports, Simmons is optimistic about finding his way back to the NBA at least sometime soon. He is confident he would be healthy enough to sign with a team by the NBA All-Star break. That will only be true if his rehabilitation continues along the path it is currently on.
At this point of career, Simmons is mostly concerned with honing his body and mind. And so it was all about being intentional with his body and really focusing on his mind. We’ll just wing it and see what happens, he said of his ad-libbed strategy. This moment of introspection followed an acknowledgment that there were elements of his prior experiences that he could have or should have navigated differently. So, for sure to answer that question, there are definitely scenarios that I would have played differently. But that brings with it, you don’t know what you don’t know,” he mused.
While pursuing his recovery and potential return to professional basketball, Simmons has embraced an entrepreneurial venture in the fishing world. He is now attached to SFC, a fishing enterprise co-owned by fisher folk leaders. This list of supporters includes professional golfers Scottie Scheffler and Harold Varner III and NFL stars Randy Moss and Raheem Mostert. Simmons was filled with excitement and anticipation at the prospect of this new chapter. He shouted, “It’s badass. Yeah, it’s sick – I love it! Just being able to own what I think will be a powerhouse team in Florida and the fishing world makes me incredibly happy to be honest.”
Leave a Reply