Short answers, pulled from the story.
Ben Simmons was born on the 20th of July 1996 in the Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy. His father Dave Simmons is an African American who played college basketball in the United States before moving to Australia, where he played professionally for the Melbourne Tigers in the National Basketball League and later became a naturalized Australian citizen. Ben holds dual citizenship in Australia and the United States.
Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Brown selected Simmons first overall in the 2016 draft based on his exceptional passing ability, court vision, and all-round statistical dominance in college. At LSU, Simmons averaged 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 2.0 steals per game in his lone collegiate season, leading the team in every major statistical category. He was the third Melbourne-born player taken with the first overall pick in eleven years, following Andrew Bogut in 2005 and Kyrie Irving in 2011.
Simmons won the NBA Rookie of the Year award at the end of the 2017-18 season. He became the third rookie in NBA history to record a triple-double in his first four games, and joined Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson as the third rookie ever to reach 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, and 500 assists in a season. He also set the Philadelphia 76ers' all-time rookie record for assists, surpassing Allen Iverson.
After a Game 7 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in the 2021 Eastern Conference Semifinals, where Simmons shot 33 percent from the free-throw line and declined to shoot in the final quarter of five of seven games, he informed the 76ers in August 2021 that he wanted to be traded. He missed training camp, skipped preseason games, and was fined more than $10 million by the team, becoming the most-fined player in NBA history. On the 10th of February 2022, he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets along with Andre Drummond, Seth Curry, and two future first-round picks in exchange for James Harden and Paul Millsam.
The Brooklyn Nets paid Simmons $124 million over three seasons for 90 games played. Recurring back injuries, including herniated discs and nerve impingements, limited his availability throughout his time in Brooklyn. He was waived on the 8th of February 2025 and his contract was bought out.
Simmons made his senior debut for Australia at the 2013 FIBA Oceania Championship, helping the team win a gold medal. He has repeatedly committed to playing in major tournaments including the 2016, 2020, and 2024 Olympics and the 2019 FIBA World Cup, but withdrew before competition each time, citing NBA preparation or back injuries. He was excluded from Australia's preliminary team selection pool for the 2024 Paris Olympics due to ongoing back problems.