Former Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons was officially ruled out for the season by the Brooklyn Nets to start a rehab program for his back, as reported by NBA Insider Shams Charania of The Athletic.
The Nets have ruled out Ben Simmons for the remainder of the season. Simmons is beginning a rehab program on his back, Nets coach Jacque Vaughn says.
In light of this news, former NBA player and champion Richard Jefferson sent a message about Simmons and how he’s seen other players be in similar predicaments as the former no. 1 pick.
“We’ve seen players with all the talent in the world not make it,” Jefferson said on NBA Today. “We’ve seen players with all the talent in the world decide to just move on and step away from the game. So, when I look at this situation with Ben Simmons, yeah, we root for every player. I have not met a player that I don’t root for the best. But, when you ask me about Ben Simmons, I know a lot of guys like that. Because this is what we do. This is what we’ve done. I wasn’t the best player on my AAU team. I wasn’t the best player on my college team. A lot of guys don’t make it out.”
Jefferson added that he hopes the best for Simmons should this be it for his NBA career.
“If this is his story, and this is how it finishes, then I wish him the best. I wish him nothing but love and I wish that he just continues and lives his life.”
Richard Jefferson won a title with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016. Simmons’ rookie year coincided with Jefferson’s last year in the league – 2017-18.
Ben Simmons’ Agent Gives Full Details on Recovery
Simmons’ agent Bernard Lee told Ian Begley of SNY that he and Simmons have “every expectation that Ben will be a Day One participant when camp begins next year without restrictions or issues.”
Lee gave the full details regarding how Simmons will approach his rehab both in the short-term and long-term.
“Ben’s process of seeking out the information of what’s going on has been a very lock-in-step effort with the Nets to clearly get an understanding of how to give (him) the opportunity to not only get healthy but also his best path to long-term sustainable health, which allows him to regularly participate and play at the highest levels – something he has done since he entered the NBA,” Lee said.
He added that there’s a better understanding now of what has happened and what needs to be done to get Simmons back to what he was.
“We feel like we have been given really solid clarity as to what he is experiencing today, how and why, and most importantly, what needs to happen moving forward to allow him to move forward with consistency and regularity.”
Sixers Insider Believes Ben Simmons is Done With Nets
Before being deemed out for the season, Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn admitted on March 25 that it was likely that Simmons would not join the team for the rest of the season. In light of that, Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire predicted via Twitter that Simmons would not play another game for them.
Simmons has only played 42 games since the Nets acquired him last season.
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Former NBA Champion Sends Message to Ex-Sixer Ben Simmons With Uncertain Future