Key Takeaways
- Ben Simmons is believed to have torn his Achilles tendon at practice on Sunday, a suspected season-ending injury according to ESPN's Shams Charania.
- Ben Simmons had just signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Sacramento Kings on Sept. 8 after sitting out the entire 2025-26 season to heal his back, knees and mind.
- Ben Simmons impressed in Sacramento's preseason, peaking with 14 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and a steal in 26 minutes in the Oct. 16 finale against San Antonio.
- The Kings open their regular season Wednesday against the LA Clippers, a game Simmons had been expected to start, though the Achilles tear still awaits formal team confirmation.
Ben Simmons is facing the end of his season before it starts.
The Sacramento Kings guard reportedly tore his Achilles tendon at practice Sunday (Oct. 18), according to ESPN, which described the injury as a suspected season-ending one.
Shams Charania broke the news, writing on X, "Just in: Sacramento Kings guard Ben Simmons is believed to have sustained a torn Achilles tendon at practice Sunday, sources tell ESPN. A suspected season-ending injury for Simmons after rejuvenated and impressive training camp and preseason performances.”
Simmons confirmed the news on Instagram Stories, writing, “I've faced challenges before that tested me mentally, physically, and emotionally, and I've found a way through every single one of them. This injury is another chapter in my journey, not the end of my story.”
He continued, “It's never easy being away from the game I love, especially after everything it took to get back here. But if there's one thing I've learned, it's that adversity doesn't define you. How you respond to it does.”
“I've been knocked down before, and I've always found a way to get back up. This time will be no different,” he finished.
The three-time All-Star and former No. 1 overall pick had signed with Sacramento on a one-year, $3.5 million deal announced Sept. 8, his first contract since sitting out the entire 2025-26 season to heal his back, his knees and his mind.
"Taking the 2025-26 season off to heal my back was the best thing I've done in my career," Simmons said in an interview with NBC Sports California, adding that he felt healthy and resilient and wanted to play all 82 games this season.
Simmons made his Kings debut Oct. 10 against Golden State, scoring 7 points in 9 minutes as Doug Christie mapped out a steady climb in workload across the final two exhibitions.
That climb peaked in the Oct. 16 finale against San Antonio, a 126-97 loss in which Simmons started and finished with 14 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and a steal in 26 minutes.
The injury record it interrupts is a long one, stretching from the fractured right foot that erased his 2016-17 rookie season through recurring lower-back nerve problems, a herniated disc in Brooklyn and back surgery in 2023.
It also deepens a bad stretch in Sacramento, which finished 22-60 last season, the worst record in the Western Conference, and lost rookie center Maxime Raynaud to a right patellar subluxation on Oct. 11. The Kings’ season is expected to start on Wednesday.
