Ben Simmons is believed to have torn an Achilles tendon at Sacramento Kings practice Sunday, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania. The suspected season-ending injury came three days before Sacramento opens the regular season against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Charania’s report did not specify which leg was injured. The Kings had not announced a diagnosis or a timeline at the time of publication.
Simmons, 30, sat out the entire 2025-26 season before signing with Sacramento. Earlier this month, Andscape’s Marc J. Spears reported that Simmons was expected to remain in the starting lineup for the opener alongside rookie guard Darius Acuff Jr., this year’s seventh overall pick.
Ben Simmons’ Return With The Sacramento Kings
On Sept. 4, Simmons agreed to a one-year, $3.5M contract with the Kings, a deal Charania and Spears first reported. In late August, he worked out for Kings general manager Scott Perry in Miami and met with Perry for an hour. He later visited Sacramento for in-depth medical exams, an on-court workout, and meetings with Kings coach Doug Christie and other staffers.
According to Spears’ reporting at the time of the signing, Sacramento was the only team to offer Simmons a contract. The Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors had shown interest that could have led to a training camp invitation.
Simmons last appeared in an NBA game in April 2025 with the Clippers. He averaged 2.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in 18 games with Los Angeles after agreeing to a buyout with the Brooklyn Nets that February.
His Kings preseason debut came Oct. 10 at Chase Center, where he started and scored 7 points on 2-of-4 shooting with 1 assist in 9 minutes of a 111-106 loss to Golden State. After the game, Christie said Sacramento still had a lot to figure out offensively.
“Love what we see as far as Ben has the ability to push the ball at a really high level, secondary ball-handler and creator,” Christie said.
Sacramento held Simmons out of its Oct. 13 game against the Portland Trail Blazers as a health precaution. Christie said the decision was about doing what was best for Simmons.
“There’s a bigger picture here, and that picture is for him to be available for 82 games in the regular season when it counts,” Christie explained.
The Kings lost that game 110-98. In Friday’s preseason finale, Simmons finished with 14 points, 8 rebounds, and a team-high 7 assists in 26 minutes of a 126-97 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Sacramento went 0-5 in the preseason.
Simmons’ Injury History
The Philadelphia 76ers selected Simmons first overall in 2016. He fractured his right foot during training camp before his rookie season and did not play in 2016-17.
Simmons won Rookie of the Year in 2017-18 and made three All-Star teams in Philadelphia. Three games into the 2020 restart in the Orlando bubble, a knee injury cost him the rest of that regular season and the 76ers’ entire playoff run. He did not play in 2021-22 amid a trade holdout, mental health concerns, and physical ailments, and Philadelphia traded him to Brooklyn in February 2022.
Since appearing in 58 games for Philadelphia in 2020-21, Simmons has not played more than 51 in a season. He played 42 games for Brooklyn in 2022-23, 15 in 2023-24, and 51 between the Nets and Clippers in 2024-25. Spears reported this month that Simmons’ goal was to play all 82 games with Sacramento.
Over 383 regular-season games with the 76ers, Nets, and Clippers, Simmons has averaged 13.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 1.5 steals.
In an interview with NBC Sports this month, Simmons said he did not watch an NBA game last season until the playoffs and did not pick up a basketball until the summer.
“I needed to get away from the game,” Simmons said. “I needed to get my back right to be able to play this game at a high level.”
The Kings open the season Wednesday against the Clippers at Intuit Dome, with tip-off set for 10:30 p.m. ET. Sacramento’s home opener follows Friday against Portland at Golden 1 Center.
