The documentary, “Being Ben,” debuted on E60 as a portrait of a comeback: how a former No. 1 overall pick had rebuilt his body and his career after a year away from the game. Hours later, the Sacramento Kings announced that an MRI had confirmed a torn right Achilles tendon. Ben Simmons will undergo surgery, and the 2026-27 season is over for him before it starts.
The injury happened during a live drill at Sunday’s practice. Simmons, 30, had signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal with Sacramento on September 4 following a year unsigned, and was expected to serve as backup point guard to rookie Darius Acuff Jr.
The Kings open the regular season at the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.
‘Adversity doesn’t define you’
Simmons posted a statement on Instagram after the news broke.
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“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 followed it with a second message.
“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.”
A career spent fighting his body
Simmons has one of the most troubled injury histories of any high draft pick in recent NBA memory. The 2016 No. 1 overall selection spent his best years with the Philadelphia 76ers before a holdout in his fifth season led to a trade to the Brooklyn Nets, where recurring back problems left him unable to play consistently. He later had a brief stint with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2024-25 after being waived by the Nets.
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He underwent a microdiscectomy in May 2022 to repair a herniated disc and had a second procedure in March 2024 for a pinched nerve in his lower back. By last season he was out of the league entirely, sitting out the whole 2025-26 campaign.
Sacramento took the gamble in September after multiple workouts and medical testing. Simmons played in all five of the Kings’ preseason games and started Friday’s loss to the San Antonio Spurs, posting 14 points in 26 minutes.
Three days from the opener
Sacramento now travel to Los Angeles on Wednesday without him. The team has not provided a return timeline for Simmons, who will have surgery on the tendon in the coming days.
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