By admin 
Ben Simmons is back.
The three-time All-Star didn’t hesitate when asked if he could get back to the player he was before his mind and body betrayed him amid a series of physical and mental health struggles that nearly derailed his career.
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“Yeah, I’m there,” Simmons said. “He’s there. He woke up.”
Simmons spoke publicly for the first time since signing with the Sacramento Kings as part of media day festivities Monday at the team’s Golden 1 Center practice facility, where the Kings will open training camp Tuesday.
Simmons faced intense scrutiny over his injury history, lack of perimeter shooting and commitment to the game while playing for the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets. He admitted that the fierce criticism took a toll on his psyche while strongly refuting those who questioned his love of the game when he chose to sit out last season to recover from injuries.
“It wasn’t about if I wanted to play,” Simmons said. “All these people talk about I don’t love the game. That’s bulls***. I love this game. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have taken that year to focus on myself and get back to where I’m at.”
In response to a follow-up question, Simmons said: “What do I love about the game? Everything. It’s my art.”
Simmons has earned three All-Star selections, two All-Defensive First Team selections and one All-NBA Third Team selection despite appearing in just 383 of a possible 719 games since coming out of LSU as the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA draft. He missed the entire 2016-17 season with the 76ers due to a foot injury. He missed the 2021-22 season due to a contract holdout, mental health issues and a lingering back injury after being traded to the Nets.
Simmons said there is a “night and day” difference in his mental health after sitting out last season to allow his back to heal. He ramped up his workouts over the spring and summer months in preparation for an NBA comeback. Simmons said that was “the best decision I’ve made for my career.”
“I didn’t touch a ball for the whole year,” he said. “I didn’t watch basketball. I just focused on getting my body right and my mind right. I knew at the time when I was ready to go and that’s what happened. I missed playing the game a lot, but it’s hard to do when you’re not physically right.”
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Kings general manager Scott Perry said Simmons gives the Kings more size, length, versatility, defense and playmaking, adding “I think he enhances our ability to be a team that’s very deep this year.”
Kings coach Doug Christie said Simmons “looks fantastic.”
Simmons gives the Kings a veteran ballhandler to backup rookie point guard Darius Acuff Jr., but at 6-foot-10 he could be used in a variety of different ways.
“You can start him anywhere. You can sub him for anyone,” Christie said. “We’re just going to let training camp and preseason and all that dictate how that pans out.”
For now, Christie is just happy to see Simmons rediscover the joy he gets from playing the game.
“As an athlete, when you go through some things, you find out a lot,” Christie said. “You can’t really put it into words. You find yourself in moments when you’re by yourself and you go ‘Wow.’ To watch him come back and see the glimmer in his eye and the love for the game, it’s a special, special thing, man.”
This story was originally published September 28, 2026 at 6:29 PM with the headline “Kings’ Ben Simmons addresses critics, mental health; says he is in top form.”
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