{"id":710125,"date":"2026-06-02T09:58:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T09:58:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/710125\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T09:58:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T09:58:09","slug":"nbl-call-grows-louder-for-ben-simmons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/710125\/","title":{"rendered":"NBL call grows louder for Ben Simmons"},"content":{"rendered":"

Over the past few weeks, there has been plenty of chatter around three-time NBA All-Star Ben Simmons and his next stop on the hardwood.<\/p>\n

The 29-year-old, who has 422 NBA games to his name, hasn\u2019t featured in a basketball game since the end of the 2024-25 season with the Los Angeles Clippers.<\/p>\n

The latest to weigh in on the future of the 2016 first overall Draft pick isAustralian basketball icon Andrew Gaze.<\/p>\n

“He’s an interesting prospect. If he has the desire, then there’s no doubt in my mind, it’s still a guy in his late 20s that he could play at a high level,\u201d Gaze told NBL Media.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe’s an NBA All-Star, and provided his body is in the right shape and he’s comfortable where he’s at, he would dominate this competition.<\/p>\n

\u201c[He\u2019s] a 6\u201910 point guard, a guy that we can equate to Magic Johnson type skills.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think this [League] would be a great platform for him to come back and continue his career in basketball. He’s a superstar.\u201d<\/p>\n

This comes after 2001 NBL champion Damon Lowery<\/a> called on NBL teams to pick up the phone and reach out to the 2020 All-NBA Third Team selection.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo all your NBL GMs out there, I know you love basketball, but do you love it enough to reach out to Ben and see how he\u2019s doing?\u201d Lowery said on Instagram.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Because] what if a healthy Ben Simmons showed up in NBL27? Can you imagine? It would be carnage.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho going to guard him? Because he could guard everyone.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe would win MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the same year.\u201d<\/p>\n

More recently, Australian Boomers assistant and Simmons\u2019 godfather Dave Patrick<\/a> explained the two-time NBA All-Defensive First Team member harbours an ambition to play at the Olympic Games.<\/p>\n

“Believe it or not, he wants to wear it and I think the Olympics is kind of his goal,” Boomers assistant and Simmons\u2019 godfather Patrick said on basketball.com.au’s Cut to the Jase.<\/p>\n

“I think as he’s got older and matured, like all of us do, I think that’s one thing he hasn’t ticked off the box, playing for his country.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe played at the youth level, but it’s nothing like playing with the Boomers.<\/p>\n

“So I think he’s on track to trying to get healthy mentally and physically, and I think it’s something that he will try to do moving forward.<\/p>\n

“It’d be an exciting time to hopefully try to get him into LA, but there’s some steps in place when you’ve been out for the year that he has been.”<\/p>\n

Simmons also won the 2018 NBA Rookie of the Year award, and led the NBA in steals in 2020.<\/p>\n

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