Over the last few years, Ben Simmons has fought hard to advance himself and his basketball career. Even though he still has a lot of his career ahead of him, he has done enough to establish himself as one of the greats to watch out for in the next decade. When you watch the strikers, it’s funny to think that he almost chose to play another sport.
Simmons’ love affair with the game began in Australia and has seen his commute between the United States and the island state throughout his career. The Philadelphia 76er’s outstanding striker dropped out of school to pursue his career. This move paid off, as he was number one in the 2016 NBA Draft’s overall selection and only the third Melbourne-born player to achieve this record.
Ben Simmons’ Biography and Early Beginnings
Simmons was born on July 20, 1996, in Australia, in the inner-city suburb of Fitzroy in Melbourne. His family later moved to Newcastle before Ben was two years old. It was here that he started playing sports – basketball and rugby – at the age of seven. He played for the Newcastle Hunters U-12 basketball team, the Western Suburbs (Junior Rugby League), and South Newcastle in the Newcastle Rugby League.
From the age of 10, he played basketball and Australian Rules Football in Melbourne and won several awards for his efforts in both sports. He finally decided to play basketball as a professional when his football coach decided to let him play as Ruckman, a position the young player did not like. He would later attend BoxHill Senior Secondary School and in 2012 he would receive a scholarship to the Australian Institute of Sports. His career took him to the USA, but only after he represented his country at the 2012 FIBA U-17 World Championships and won the silver medal.
In the USA he attended and played for the Montverde Academy in Florida. Here he won several MVP honors for his incredible contributions during his junior season. The following season he maintained his MVP honors. Simmons was also named winner of the Morgan Wootten Award for his exemplary leadership and character both on and off the hardwood. At the end of the season, ESPN.com awarded the young striker the title of the country’s No. 1 Power Forward and No. 1 player.
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Ben Simmons played his first game for Louisiana State University on November 13, 2015, where he scored an impressive 11 points and 13 rebounds in a win over McNeese State. The season was largely considered a failure as LSU ended the season with an 18-13 record for their regular season and an 11-7 record for the SEC game. However, Simmons’ individual contribution was exemplary, as he ended up in the first team of the All-Southeastern Conference and in the All-SEC Freshman Team. He was also voted “Freshman of the Year 2016” and led his team in all major statistical categories except three-point and free-throw shooting. Simmons also received praise from people like the legendary Magic Johnson, who considered him the best all-around player since LeBron James.
Professional Career
Ben Simmons relinquished his remaining three years of college eligibility and in March 2016 signed up for the 2016 NBA Draft and also signed with Klutch Sports, an American sports agency, to prepare for his professional career. On June 23, 2016, he was selected by Brett Brown, head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, who used to coach the Australian national team and was a friend of Ben’s family. He was the first player in modern times to be drafted with zero NCAA tournament experience.
Simmons’s passing ability and spatial awareness were soon put to the test in his first appearance with the 76ers in the 2016 NBA Summer League. He earned a place on the first team in the All-Las Vegas Summer League. Unfortunately, he broke his right ankle at the team’s last training camp before his rookie season. He was initially ruled out for three to four months but was eventually sidelined for the rest of the season in February 2017 due to delays in the healing process.
After being marginalized for an entire season, his strength and fitness were called into question. In the 2017-2018 season, he broke a number of records and joined the ranks of such greats like Oscar Robertson, Allen Iverson, and Magic Johnson to dispel these doubts. By the end of the season, he had been named Eastern Conference Rookie Player of the Month four times. This season, Simmons was the only player in NBA history to score at least 170 points, 100 rebounds, and 80 assists in his team’s first ten games. He also became the third rookie behind Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson to score 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, and 500 assists. Simmons ended the season by winning the top spot from Allen Iverson, who held the record for his team’s assists through a rookie.
Simmons had represented the Australian national team at the 2013 FIBA Oceania and missed the 2016 Rio Olympics due to an injury that prevented him from reaching the 2016-2017 season with the 76ers.
Ben Simmons’ Net Worth
The impressive striker is still at the beginning of his professional career and definitely has a lot of work to do. Nevertheless, he is already sitting on good money. While his rookie contract for the second year is worth $12 million in the 76ers, he has signed a lucrative contract with Nike worth around $20 million. It is estimated by various sources to be worth between 15 million and 50 million dollars, but none of the figures have been authenticated.
Parents and Family – Dad, Mom, and Sister
Ben comes from quite a large family. His mother Julie, who is from Australia, met his father Dave Simmons in 1991 and they got married in 1994. Ben Simmons’s father is also Australian but was born in America where he played for the basketball team of the University of Oklahoma City. In 1989, he finally turned pro with the Melbourne Tigers, an Australian NBA team.
Ben’s mother had four children from a previous marriage: Melissa, Emily, Liam, and Sean. From the union of his parents, he has an older biological sister, Olivia. Although there are fifteen years between Ben, his mother’s last child, and Melissa, his parents chose to raise them all as one happy family.
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Who is Ben Simmons’ Girlfriend?
So it seems the increasingly talented NBA star is also winning on the court. In early 2018, Ben Simmons revealed that he was dating the singer and actress Tinashe. But it was no real surprise to his fans that he was with the singer. With the pictures they published on Instagram, they had previously dropped countless hints. Tinashe also took part in all his games and sat in some privileged seating areas.
During an interview with a local radio station in Philadelphia on Valentine’s Day 2018, she revealed that her favorite player was the 76ers, Ben Simmons. Tinashe played the role of Carrie Baker as a child in the 2004 animated Christmas movie The Polar Express and won the 2014 BET Award for Best New Artist and the 2015 Soul Train Award for Best New Artist. In April 2018 she released her third studio album Joyride.
Height, Weight, and Body Measurements
Despite his size, Simmons has often been praised for his speed and athleticism. The striker stands at an intimidating height of 6 feet 10 inches (2.08 m), making him taller than the likes of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. Only in the ranks of Shaquille O’Neal – and there are few to none – are people taller than the 76ers’ star player.
Ben Simmons weighs 104 kg (230 lbs), which makes him a few kilograms heavier than a reasonable percentage of NBA players.
