BEN SIMMONS TEARS ACHILLES TENDON AT KINGS PRACTICE

The Sacramento Kings said guard Ben Simmons tore his right Achilles tendon during a live drill at practice on Sunday, 18 October. An MRI confirmed the injury, and the Kings said Simmons would undergo surgery. The injury will keep him out for the entire NBA season. Sacramento was due to open its season against the Los Angeles Clippers three days after the practice. Simmons had signed a one-year contract with the Kings in September.

The Australian missed the 2025-26 season while recovering from back problems. A former No 1 draft pick and three-time All-Star, Simmons played in two Kings pre-season games. He spent 26 minutes on court in Sacramento’s loss to San Antonio. Across his two pre-season appearances, he averaged 10.5 points, four rebounds and four assists in 17.5 minutes per game. Simmons underwent surgery for a herniated disc in May 2022 and another procedure for a pinched nerve in his lower back in March 2024.

“This injury is another chapter in my journey, not the end of my story,” Simmons wrote on Instagram. He said previous challenges had tested him mentally, physically and emotionally. Knee and calf injuries have also interrupted his playing career in recent years. At an NBA on Prime launch in New York, Blake Griffin praised Simmons’s ability to defend several positions and pass the ball. ESPN released its documentary *Being Ben* hours before news of the injury emerged.