Ben Simmons' athletic journey just got weirder.
Simmons has already traveled an odd basketball path. He was a top recruit, a star at LSU, a No. 1 overall pick, a young standout for the 76ers and then all of a sudden a declining player who didn't shoot and lost playing time in the NBA year after year.
After all that, though, this next Simmons twist is the most surprising.
Simmons is dipping his toes into the waters of professional fishing.
NBA writer Marc Spears shared in a new story that Simmons is the new controlling operator of the South Florida Sails in the Sport Fishing Championship.
“The way I see it, it’s like the new F1 [Formula 1] for fishing. The new LIV Golf for fishing,” Simmons told Spears. “The first real competitive sport fishing championship. It’s a league of 16 teams, which is growing and expanding. And so, we’ll go out there and compete in various different tournaments, and there’ll be a champion crowned at the end. It’s a point-scored system. So, you’re fishing for white marlin, blue marlin, sailfish and striped marlin. There are all different point systems for each one."
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Simmons had more to say.
“It’s a very niche sport," he told Spears. "And if you don’t know, you don’t know. But once you experience it and get out there and see what it’s about, you’re kind of in awe of what the sport is. And that’s just something I’ve always been interested in in terms of the sport of fishing. The technique. And there’s so much to it that people just don’t understand. These guys are fishing on million-dollar vessels, and they’re out for days at a time. So, it’s tedious and gritty, but a lot of fun. It’s one of those worlds where you just got to kind of experience it, get into it and see what it’s about.”
Simmons looks set to go down as a major NBA "what if?"
His career averages are 13.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.5 steals between the 76ers, Nets and Clippers, but at one point it seemed like he could be so much more.
Simmons played 18 games with the Clippers to end last season. He was an unrestricted free agent, and he hasn't yet signed with a team.
Simmons dealt with back injuries at the end of last season, and he's looking for the right chance.
“I don’t believe it’s just [about] getting on a team,” Simmons told Spears. “So, if I were to play right now, I think I’d fit right into the NBA just given what I can do. But I want to give everything I can to the game. I don’t think there’s any point in just wasting a spot just to be out there. I think that’s a little selfish. And there are guys that do it now. But that’s what it is, the business. For me, I’m very blessed to not have to be in that situation where I need to fight right now. But I want to get to the best of my ability and physical peak to compete. Otherwise, it doesn’t really serve me any purpose.”
Also, believe it or not, Simmons is still just 29 years old.
His sports life has a long way to go, and this chapter now includes fishing.
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