Sacramento Kings guard Ben Simmons has torn his Achilles tendon and will undergo surgery, the team announced Sunday.
The injury is likely season-ending for Simmons, 30, who had an impressive training camp on short notice for Sacramento. The team said it occurred during a live drill at Sunday’s practice.
A three-time All-Star, Simmons agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Kings on Sept. 4. He was healthy at the time of the deal. The 6-foot-10, 240-pound guard had impressed Kings general manager Scott Perry when he worked out for Perry in Miami and held an hourlong meeting with him in late August.
Simmons responds to the injury
“I’ve faced challenges before that tested me mentally, physically and emotionally, and I’ve found a way through every single one of them,” Simmons wrote in a statement posted on social media. “This injury is another chapter in my journey, not the end of my story.”
Simmons also travelled to Sacramento last month to visit the Kings. He impressed coach Doug Christie and other members of the basketball staff at the team’s practice facility, where he underwent an in-depth medical exam and completed an on-court workout.
A role as a high-upside reclamation project
Over the following days, the Kings offered Simmons a contract, expecting him to be a backup point guard for rookie Darius Acuff Jr. and to play positions 1 through 5. Simmons was to serve as a high-upside reclamation project who still has years left in his prospective prime.
Simmons played two preseason games for the Kings, averaging 10.5 points in 17.5 minutes.
“It’s never easy being away from the game I love, especially after everything it took to get back here,” Simmons wrote. “But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that adversity doesn’t define you. How you respond to it does.”