Nets' Ben Simmons Says He Considered NBA Retirement amid Back Injury Rehab
January 24, 2025
Ben Simmons said the back surgery he underwent last March led him to question whether he would ever play in the NBA again.
The procedure, which addressed a pinched nerve in Simmons' lower back, marked the second time the Brooklyn Nets guard had undergone back surgery in three years.
"There were times, last summer, when I was like, 'I don't know if I can do this. I might have to stop playing,'" Simmons said on Friday's episode of the Young Man and the Three podcast.
TheYoungManAndTheThree @OldManAndThree"There were times last summer where I was like, 'I don't know if I can do this, I might have to stop playing'"-- Ben Simmons opening up about his experience with his injuries and surgeries the past few years... <a href="https://t.co/JeUWEmq6K7">pic.twitter.com/JeUWEmq6K7</a>
Simmons continued: "I had to bring that up in conversation, and think about it, just because physically it's tough, but mentally it's just so hard to return from an injury like that, and go through the process of rehabbing a second summer in a row.
"But like I said, it's day by day. You just take it day by day."
Simmons has been available for 30 of the first 45 games of his third season with the Nets.
He first underwent back surgery to address a herniated disc in May 2022 before undergoing the second procedure two years later.
Simmons said on the podcast that the second surgery was "a lot different."
Where the first procedure alleviated pain, Simmons said the second surgery made him feel like he "had a new body."
"You're doing the most simple exercise you could possibly do... and you just gotta be okay with that process with it, and just rebuilding, and understanding that your body needs time to heal and relearn everything," Simmons said.
Simmons continued: "You start seeing that progress, and your body adapting to what you are able to do, and what you want to do, your mind connecting it, too. And I'm finally back here."
When asked what pushed him through the rehab process, Simmons said, "My mindset."
"I can't just stop. Like, I'm not just gonna stop. I wanna compete, I'm a competitor, I like to play basketball, I like to win," Simmons said. "And that was my time to win. I had so many losses in the last two and a half years, I was like, no, I need this one."
Despite the 15 games he has missed so far this season, Simmons is on track to reach his highest single-season appearance total as a Net this spring. He appeared in just 57 contests over the last two seasons combined.
Simmons is averaging 6.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game when available for the rebuilding Nets.
Although he is set to hit unrestricted free agency after this season, Simmons is likely not a trade candidate due to his $40 million cap hit. Brett Siegel reported for ClutchPoints in December that the Nets were more likely to keep Simmons on the roster past Feb. 6 than to buy him out.
That could set Simmons on track to face more questions regarding his NBA career in the near future as he approaches potential free agency this spring.
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