Ben Simmons is taking yet another step toward an NBA comeback.
The free agent forward is expected to be a full participant with “zero restrictions” at a player-led private minicamp for the Australian men’s basketball team, beginning Monday in Melbourne, according to ESPN’s Marc J. Spears.
It’s a significant step for Simmons, who sat out the entire 2025-26 NBA season in an effort to get his body right after years of injuries.
Spears reported that Simmons “took last season off in hopes of completely healing from injuries.”
After another long period away from the game, he will now have the opportunity to show where his body and his game are at.
Simmons has not played in the NBA since the 2024-25 season, when he finished the year with the LA Clippers.
The former No. 1 overall pick has dealt with a string of injuries in recent years, but appears determined to make his way back into the league.
Ben Simmons is coming back 👀 pic.twitter.com/keLZsfV8Ai
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 9, 2026
“Several NBA teams have expressed interest in Simmons, who is open to signing a minimum contract,” Spears reported. “One source said he has a non-guaranteed offer on the table for minicamp with a Western Conference team.”
The 30-year-old Melbourne native is also hoping the minicamp can help him get back into the Boomers setup, with his sights set on representing Australia at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Simmons even paid his own way to attend this week’s minicamp, a sign of how much playing for Australia still means to him.
Simmons has represented the Boomers, playing at the 2013 FIBA Men’s Oceania Championship as a 17-year-old.
Despite being viewed as a potential Australian Olympic player, he did not participate in the next three Olympic Games.
He’ll be able to compete alongside some of the country’s best players while also giving NBA teams a chance to see him up close.
Simmons has long been one of the most talented Australian basketball players of his generation, but injuries have kept him from reaching the level many expected after he was selected No. 1 in the 2016 NBA Draft.
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