Jan 30, 2020; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons (25) talks to fans before a game against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Ben Simmons simply cannot stop taking Ls.
The Brooklyn Nets forward Simmons said earlier this month that he was hoping to suit up for his native Australia at the FIBA World Cup, which will be held this coming fall. Simmons hasn’t played since February due to a back injury but said that he was looking to join the Boomers roster.
“I’m currently rehabilitating my back injury and putting my full effort and focus towards that,” Simmons said to The Daily Telegraph in Australia. “I love what Coach [Brian] Goorjian is building with the Boomers and I look forward to being a part of the program in the future.”
Unfortunately though, Simmons’ comments fell on deaf ears. News.com.au in Australia reports that Simmons was left off the country’s initial 18-man roster for the World Cup (which was revealed on Tuesday). Ten other NBA players did make the cut however, such as Josh Giddey, Patty Mills, Joe Ingles, Matthew Dellavedova, Matisse Thybulle, Jock Landale, and more.
There may have been questions over Simmons’ readiness to perform given that he played in just 42 games this NBA season (averaging a woeful 6.9 points a game) before the back injury ended his season in mid-February.
Simmons also has a long history of curving the Boomers. Since being drafted in 2016, there have been multiple times that Simmons stated his intentions to suit up for Australia’s national team, only for him to end up withdrawing every single time (including some pretty late withdrawals). This time around though, the Boomers seem to be returning the favor.
Not much has gone right for Simmons these last couple of years. A lengthy holdout from the Philadelphia 76ers gave way to two straight first-round sweeps for his new team, the Nets (with Simmons on the bench injured both times). Then again, Simmons is making over $30 million per year (with another $78 million in guaranteed money still to come) to do little to no work. Now he will be absent again when it comes to the Australian team.
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