What is Ben Simmons's Net Worth and Salary?
Ben Simmons is a professional basketball player who has a net worth of $80 million. Ben Simmons is a 6'10" point guard and forward who played at Montverde Academy in high school where he was named Mr. Basketball USA, the Gatorade Player of the Year, the Naismith Prep Player of the Year, a McDonald's All-American, and first-team Parade All-American in 2015. Simmons played his college basketball at LSU where he was named SEC Freshman of the Year, USBWA National Freshmen of the Year, and was first-team All-SEC and a consensus first-team All-American in 2016.
He was drafted #1 overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2016 NBA Draft. Simmons was the NBA Rookie of the Year and an NBA All-Rookie First Team selection in 2018 and was an NBA All-Star in 2019. Simmons was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in February 2022.
A dual citizen of the United States and his native Australia, Simmons has also played for the Australia men's national basketball team.
Salary & Contracts
In July 2019, Ben signed a 5-year, $177 million contract extension. In the 2024-2025 season, the last season in the contract, his salary will be $40.3 million.
Early Life and High School
Ben Simmons was born on July 20, 1996 in Melbourne, Australia to Australian mother Julie and African-American expatriate Dave, a professional basketball player in Australia's National Basketball League. He has five siblings named Melissa, Emily, Liam, Sean, and Olivia, with the first four coming from his mother's earlier marriage. When he was 18 months old, Simmons moved with the family to Newcastle, where his father played and coached. Simmons began playing basketball himself when he was seven. At the age of 10, he returned to Melbourne and started playing junior basketball with the Knox Raiders. Simmons also played rugby and Australian rules football growing up.
In Australia, Simmons attended Whitefriars College and Box Hill Senior Secondary College, playing basketball at both. He also attended the Australian Institute of Sport. In early 2013, Simmons moved to the United States so he could compete against boys of similar size and athleticism to him. He attended Montverde Academy in Florida, where he helped the Eagles basketball team win three consecutive High School National Tournaments from 2013 to 2015. As a senior in the latter year, Simmons was named Gatorade Player of the Year and Naismith Prep Player of the Year.
Collegiate Career
For college, Simmons attended Louisiana State University. He was an immediate success with the LSU Tigers basketball team in 2016, leading the team in most of the major statistical categories and earning SEC Freshman of the Year honors. However, after his freshman year, Simmons elected to forgo his final three years of college to declare for the NBA draft.
Philadelphia 76ers
In the 2016 NBA draft, Simmons was chosen with the first overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers. He had an inauspicious start with the team due to a foot fracture that ruled him out of the entire 2016-17 NBA season. Fortunately, Simmons arrived in top form for the 2017-18 season, and in only his fourth game recorded his first career triple-double. Later in the season, he helped the 76ers win a franchise-record 16 consecutive games to advance to the playoffs. Ultimately, the team fell to the Boston Celtics in the conference semifinals. At the end of the season, Simmons was named the NBA Rookie of the Year. He continued his success in the 2018-19 season, when he became the second-fastest NBA player to reach 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, and 1,000 assists. Simmons also earned his first All-Star selection. He finished the season with a career-high average of 16.9 points per game as the 76ers once again reached the playoffs. This time, the team lost to the Toronto Raptors in the conference semifinals.
Simmons earned his second All-Star selection in the 2019-20 season. He finished the season as the NBA steals leader, with 2.1 per game. Simmons earned his third consecutive All-Star selection in the 2020-21 season as the 76ers made it back to the playoffs. However, he struggled mightily in the playoffs, becoming the worst free-throw shooter in postseason history with at least 67 attempts. The 76ers ended up losing to the Atlanta Hawks in the conference semifinals. Due to his disastrous 2021 postseason performance and the criticism it brought him, Simmons decided he wanted to leave the 76ers. He went on to holdout from the team, resulting in enough fines to make him the most-fined player in NBA history in terms of total financial loss.
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Brooklyn Nets
In early 2022, Simmons was traded to the Brooklyn Nets. A little over a month later, he suffered a herniated disk in his back and was ruled out for the remainder of the season. Simmons returned for the 2022-23 season, making his debut for the Nets in a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans in October. However, his season ended early once again when he was diagnosed with a nerve impingement in his back. He missed the first 38 games of the 2023-24 season before he finally returned to play in late January 2024. Once again, however, Simmons suffered a nerve impingement in his back in March that ruled him out for the remainder of the season.
National Team Career
Simmons first played for the Australia men's national basketball team at the junior level, competing in the 2012 FIBA Under-17 World Championship. In the tournament, he helped the team claim the silver medal. Simmons went on to make his senior debut for Australia in the 2013 FIBA Oceania Championship, where he helped his team win gold.
One & Done
Simmons is the subject of the 2016 Showtime documentary film "One & Done," about his journey from high school basketball to being a one-and-done college player.
Personal Life
In late 2021, Simmons reportedly got engaged to British radio and television personality Maya Jama. The two reportedly broke off their engagement the following year.
