Sacramento Kings forward Ben Simmons is believed to have torn his Achilles tendon during a practice on Sunday, according to multiple reports.
The injury is believed to be serious enough that his season is expected to be over.
This marks the third season-ending Achilles tendon tear in the NBA this month, with Philadelphia’s Ariel Hukporti and Oklahoma City’s Otega Oweh suffering similar injuries.
For Simmons, the injury could spell an end to his time in the NBA altogether after he attempted to return to the league following a whole season away.
Simmons last played for the Los Angeles Clippers, signing midway through the 2024-25 season.
Los Angeles didn’t sign him to a contract to keep him, making him a free agent after that season and going all of 2025-26 without a team.
Sacramento Kings forward Ben Simmons has suffered a season-ending torn Achilles tendon
Simmons had been hoping to make an NBA comeback after spending a season without a team
Simmons, 30, last played in the NBA for the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2024-25 season
Simmons, the former first-overall pick from the 2016 NBA Draft, has had a tumultuous career in the league.
With the 76ers, Simmons won NBA Rookie of the Year in 2018 after missing his first season with an injury.
Simmons won every accolade of his NBA career in Philadelphia – including making the All-NBA Third-Team in 2020. He also was named to the All-Defensive First Team twice, led the league in steals in 2020 and was selected as an All-Star three times.
But his time in the City of Brotherly Love ended on a sour note after Simmons decided to hold out of the entire season as he felt scapegoated for the team’s elimination in the 2021 NBA Playoffs. Simmons eventually became the most fined player in NBA history because he continued to miss gamedays.
Eventually, Simmons was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in a megadeal along with Andre Drummond, Seth Curry and two future first-round picks in exchange for James Harden and Paul Millsap.
Brooklyn wasn’t kind to Simmons as he missed multiple games due to injuries throughout three seasons. Eventually, after missing the playoffs each year, Simmons was waived and his contract was bought out in the middle of the 2024-25 season.
After the buyout, the Clippers signed him in February 2025. Simmons played 17 regular season games and five playoff games for LA before he was released.
The now-30-year-old would not sign with an NBA team at any point in the following season. This past September, he signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal with Sacramento before suffering this Achilles tear.
