The three-time NBA All-Star, who is preparing to make his long-awaited return to the NBA with the Sacramento Kings after nearly 18 months away from the league, has made his intentions clear about representing Australia, with the 2027 FIBA World Cup in Qatar emerging as a genuine possibility.<\/p>\n
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Speaking exclusively to Fox Sports Australia ahead of the release of his upcoming documentary Being Ben, Spears revealed that Simmons has expressed his desire to represent the Boomers, with his recent minicamp in Melbourne potentially opening the door for a long-awaited international debut.<\/p>\n
Ben Simmons at the Boomers’ mini camp. Picture: @courtsidemelbourneSource: Instagram<\/p>\n
\u201cI do think from talking to Ben, like you don\u2019t go to that mini camp unless you want to play in the team,\u201d Spears told Fox Sports Australia.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if he\u2019s on the World Cup team next year. He told me straight out that he does want to play in the Olympic team.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do think there\u2019s going to be a healing process between him and Australia. And to me, I think that was the first step.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t let me speak for your country on how they feel about him. But the fact that he went there for a mini camp, I think speaks volumes about what his interest is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Simmons\u2019 relationship with Australian basketball fans has been complicated over the years, with the former number one pick withdrawing from several international tournaments and yet to represent the Boomers at the senior level.<\/p>\n
However, Spears believes his decision to travel to Melbourne at his own expense, where he trained alongside members of the national team under head coach Adam Caporn, is the clearest indication yet that Simmons is serious about representing his country.<\/p>\n
Australian Ben Simmons in the Boomers strip.Source: Supplied<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I know it helped him tremendously, but you don\u2019t fly on your own dime. They didn\u2019t pay for him,\u201d Spears said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo to me, I think this is the first time where I think you could strongly state that he wants to be a part of this team and he\u2019s making the effort to be a part of this team.\u201d<\/p>\n
But while the minicamp may have opened the door to a future with the Boomers, Spears believes it also played an even bigger role in Simmons\u2019 basketball career.<\/p>\n
\u2018THAT AUSTRALIAN MINICAMP SAVED HIS CAREER\u2019<\/p>\n
After sitting out the entire 2025-26 NBA season while undergoing an extensive physical and mental rehabilitation process, Simmons faced an uncertain future in the league.<\/p>\n
Ben Simmons #25 of the Sacramento Kings poses for a picture during the Kings Media Day at Sacramento Kings Practice Facility on September 28, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Despite being a former three-time All-Star and one of the NBA\u2019s best defenders during his prime, the Australian struggled to attract<\/p>\n
genuine interest from teams, with Spears revealing that several organisations were unwilling to even watch him work out.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis swag is back. His confidence is back. He knows how good he is and he\u2019s just turned 30,\u201d Spears said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I\u2019m gonna tell you this. It was amazing to me that nobody would come watch him in July. Nobody.<\/p>\n
Ben Simmons responds to media criticsSource: News Sport Network<\/p>\n
\u201cI even had some teams call me and talk to me, but they\u2019re like, \u2018Eh, he\u2019s done\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody would go watch him. Like, isn\u2019t it your job as an NBA team to go scout a player? He was a three-time All-Star. He was an All-NBA defensive player. Like, why would you not just go watch him work out?\u201d<\/p>\n
However, everything began to change when Simmons travelled to Australia and participated in the Boomers minicamp, with footage of the former All-Star impressing during training quickly spreading across social media.<\/p>\n
For Spears, who has followed Simmons\u2019 journey for more than a decade, that moment may have been the turning point that ultimately brought him back to the NBA.<\/p>\n
\u201cI truly believe that it was that Australian mini-camp that saved his career,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause until then nobody would go watch him out in Miami. Minnesota was flirting with it and Golden State was flirting with it. And New York Knicks were flirting with it, but they never actually went and watched him play.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo then he goes to Australia, goes to the mini camp. He plays amazing.<\/p>\n
Ben Simmons has posted this image to his Instagram . (Instagram)Source: Instagram<\/p>\n
\u201cI think there are a lot of NBA teams who should be ashamed of themselves for not simply just going there and watching him work out.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was available to all 30 teams.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, Simmons is preparing to return to the NBA with Sacramento, with the Kings set to open their season against the Los Angeles Clippers next week.<\/p>\n
But his comeback is about more than simply returning to the basketball court, with Spears\u2019 upcoming documentary offering an insight into the challenges Simmons has faced throughout his career, including his controversial departure from Philadelphia.<\/p>\n
\u2018FANS MIGHT LOOK AT THEM DIFFERENTLY\u2019: NEW LIGHT ON UGLY 76ERS EXIT<\/p>\n
One of the biggest talking points surrounding Simmons\u2019 career remains his dramatic departure from the Philadelphia 76ers, where he spent the first four seasons of his NBA career.<\/p>\n
Ben Simmons walks on stage after being drafted first overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 23, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
His relationship with the franchise deteriorated following the 2021 Eastern Conference semi-finals, where his decision to pass up a wide-open dunk in Game 7 against the Atlanta Hawks became one of the most scrutinised moments of his career.<\/p>\n
What followed was a highly publicised fallout between Simmons and the organisation, eventually leading to his departure.<\/p>\n
However, according to Spears, there is more to the story than what has previously been reported.<\/p>\n
Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers passes the ball during the first half of the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at Phoenix Suns Arena in Phoenix, Arizona.. (Photo by Christian Petersen \/ GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA \/ AFP)Source: AFP<\/p>\n
Having spoken to Simmons and his former 76ers head coach Doc Rivers for the documentary, Spears revealed that he learned new details surrounding the breakdown of their relationship, suggesting fans could come away with a different perspective after watching.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to reveal it. You know what I\u2019m saying? Like I don\u2019t want to mess it up for the viewer,\u201d Spears said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI learned something that I didn\u2019t know. I think after watching it, I don\u2019t want to do a spoiler alert.<\/p>\n
Head coach Doc Rivers of the Philadelphia 76ers speaks with Ben Simmons #25 during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers at Wells Fargo Center on January 27, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cFans might look at them differently after watching this. I think it will make more sense now.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd so there is a little surprise where the ire was and ultimately the reason why he wanted out that I didn\u2019t know and I was educated on myself.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I\u2019m just gonna leave it like that. But I would say that the Philly part is about a third of the documentary. Very extensive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Spears, who has covered the NBA for more than three decades, believes Simmons faced a level of scrutiny that few players experience, particularly as an Australian entering the league with enormous expectations.<\/p>\n
Joel Embiid #21 and Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers celebrate the win over the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on April 20, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.Source: AFP<\/p>\n
From becoming the first non-American to win the prestigious national high school basketball player of the year award to being selected first overall in the 2016 NBA Draft, Simmons was constantly under the spotlight.<\/p>\n
And while his talent was never in question during his early years, Spears believes the combination of injuries, outside pressure and criticism eventually took its toll.<\/p>\n
Ben Simmons is interviewed after being drafted first overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 23, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.Source: AFP<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve never seen a really good story written about what it\u2019s like to be an international player playing in NBA,\u201d Spears said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wasn\u2019t playing in NBA, but to be a star, to be one that had a spotlight, Ben was the first non-American to win the award for the best high school basketball player in the United States.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo that put an extreme hot spotlight on him going to LSU and not making the big college tournament, NCAA tournament was something that added more pressure. Being number one was more pressure, getting hurt.<\/p>\n
Ben Simmons #25 of the LSU Tigers stands on the court after being charged with a technical foul in the game against the Texas A&M Aggies during the semifinals of the SEC Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 12, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Philly crowd for Australians, if you don\u2019t know, is probably about as tough as a crowd in America.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey boo Santa Claus, they boo Beyonce, okay? So they might boo LeBron James if he don\u2019t play great this season, right? They\u2019re the toughest fans in sports.<\/p>\n
Aussies in the NBA: New coach\u2019s blunt Giddey advice; \u2018absolute menace\u2019 turning heads at Lakers<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI think all that took its toll. The injuries I think were more severe than a lot of people knew.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe media either loved him or despised him. And there\u2019s no middle ground. And I\u2019m sure that took its toll.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben Simmons of the Brooklyn Nets looks on in the first half against the Philadelphia 76ers at Barclays Center on March 05, 2024 in New York City.Source: AFP<\/p>\n Looking back, Spears believes Simmons may have benefited from taking an extended break from basketball earlier in his career, rather than continuing to battle through the physical and mental challenges that followed him after Philadelphia.<\/p>\n \u201cThe break he took this year, I think he takes it in Brooklyn. He sits out in Brooklyn and does that break a couple seasons earlier and maybe we\u2019re, you know, talking about something different now.\u201d<\/p>\n THE MOMENT SPEARS KNEW SIMMONS WAS HEALTHY AGAIN<\/p>\n While the documentary explores some of the darkest moments of Simmons\u2019 basketball journey, it also gives viewers a look at the Australian away from the court.<\/p>\n And for Spears, one of the biggest surprises came during a fishing trip off the coast of Key West, Florida, where Simmons owns a successful competitive fishing team.<\/p>\n \u201cI kind of knew the love for fishing, but I didn\u2019t know it was to that extent,\u201d Spears said.<\/p>\n During filming, Simmons invited Spears and the documentary crew onto his boat for a trip into the Atlantic Ocean, where they spent eight hours fishing.<\/p>\n Australian basketballer Ben Simmons had a great day out on the Great Barrier Reef catching some fish while holidays at the WhitsundaysSource: Supplied<\/p>\n What started as an opportunity to learn more about Simmons\u2019 life outside basketball quickly became one of the most memorable experiences of the documentary.<\/p>\n Spears, who has roots in Louisiana and is no stranger to fishing himself, admitted he was not quite prepared for Simmons\u2019 approach to the sport.<\/p>\n NBA Daily: \u2018New Ben\u2019 hype after wild Kings fan introduction; NBA star shuts down AIDS rumours <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWe usually fish lakes and rivers, not Ben. Ben wants to go deep in the ocean, right? He wants to put his life in jeopardy,\u201d Spears joked.<\/p>\n The trip even proved too much for one member of the production crew, with Spears revealing that their sound technician struggled with the conditions on the boat.<\/p>\n Ben Simmons owns fishing teamSource: Supplied<\/p>\n But it was Simmons\u2019 determination to catch a sailfish, something he had never achieved before, that gave Spears a glimpse of the competitive fire that once made him one of the NBA\u2019s most exciting young players.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was trying to get this fish. It was a really beautiful fish and he had never caught one. So he was determined to catch a sailfish and he finally got one on the hook, and this is when I knew he was healthy,\u201d Spears said.<\/p>\n