Sacramento Kings guard Ben Simmons has sustained a torn Achilles tendon and will undergo surgery, the team announced Sunday.
The injury is likely to end the season of Simmons, 30, who put together an impressive training camp on short notice for Sacramento. The injury occurred during a live drill at Sunday’s practice, the team said.
Simmons’ Kings deal and the road to Sacramento
A three-time All-Star, Simmons agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Kings on Sept. 4. He was healthy at the time of the deal. The 6-foot-10, 240-pound guard impressed Kings general manager Scott Perry when he worked out for Perry in Miami and held an hourlong meeting with him in late August.
Simmons also travelled to Sacramento last month to visit the Kings. He impressed coach Doug Christie and other members of the basketball staff at the team’s practice facility, where he underwent an in-depth medical exam and completed an on-court workout.
Over the following days, the Kings offered Simmons a contract. They expected him to serve as a backup point guard for rookie Darius Acuff Jr. and to play positions 1 through 5. Sacramento viewed Simmons as a high-upside reclamation project who still has years left in his prospective prime.
Simmons played two preseason games for the Kings and averaged 10.5 points in 17.5 minutes.
Simmons responds to the injury
“I’ve faced challenges before that tested me mentally, physically and emotionally, and I’ve found a way through every single one of them,” Simmons wrote in a statement posted on social media. “This injury is another chapter in my journey, not the end of my story.”
“It’s never easy being away from the game I love, especially after everything it took to get back here,” Simmons wrote. “But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that adversity doesn’t define you. How you respond to it does.”