A frank Ben Simmons admitted he considered retiring from the NBA during the offseason as the Brooklyn Nets star opened up on his ongoing injury struggles.
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Speaking on the Young Man and the Three podcast, Simmons touched on a number of topics including his relationship with 76ers fans and how he has learned to deal with criticism throughout his career.
But the Australian’s most candid comments came when he was asked about the mental toll of his debilitating back injuries.
Simmons, who underwent back surgery on a bulging disc during the summer of 2022, said his most recent procedure in March was “completely different” and that he felt like he had a “new body”.
“But you have your surgery and you’re doing the most simple exercise you could possibly do to get your core going again, get your legs firing, get your glutes, hamstrings, whatever it is (going),” he added.
“And you’ve just got to be OK with that process and rebuilding and understanding your body needs time to heal and then re-learn everything. It’s so crazy to speak about also because mentally it’s so frustrating and draining.
“There were times, last summer, when I was like, ‘I don’t know if I can do this. I might have to stop playing’.
“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 and you start seeing that process and your body adapting to what you were able to do and what you want to do in your mind, connecting the two and I’m finally back here.”
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Simmons later said it was his “mindset” and the “competitor” inside that helped him clear that mental hurdle.
“I can’t just stop,” the three-time All-Star said.
“Like, I’m not just gonna stop. I wanna compete, I’m a competitor, I like to play basketball, I like to win.
“And that was my time to win. I had so many losses in the last two and a half years, I was like, ‘Nah, I need this one’. That moment to me was like, ‘Nah, I need to do this’ and it’s for myself.”
In a surprising turn given his relationship with the Philadelphia fanbase, Simmons also later said he “didn’t appreciate” the Sixers supporters enough during his time with the franchise, describing them as “incredible”.
“You always want to play for a team that has a good fan base, whether they’re booing or whatever. You just want fans to care. You want the arena packed,” Simmons said.
“Just having that experience in Philadelphia was amazing. I’m so grateful to have played there and got to experience the city of Philly and know what it feels like to play for a team like Philly and play on a winning team.
“Winning in Philly is different, you know? There’s no place like it.”
Simmons has played 30 of 45 games so far for the Nets this season and while he has battled a few minor injuries, for the most part he has been available outside of playing back-to-backs.
He is set to hit unrestricted free agency after this season.
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