The Ben Simmons Achilles injury suffered at Kings practice Sunday has ended his NBA comeback before it even started.
The Sacramento Kings announced that Simmons tore his right Achilles tendon during a live drill, and an MRI confirmed the tear. He will have surgery and is expected to miss the entire 2026-27 season. The Achilles is the tendon that connects the calf muscle to the heel, and recovery from a full tear typically takes about a year.
The timing could not be worse. Simmons, 30, was projected to start Wednesday’s season opener against the Los Angeles Clippers alongside rookie Darius Acuff Jr., Zach LaVine, Keegan Murray and Domantas Sabonis. He started Friday’s preseason loss to the San Antonio Spurs and put up 14 points in 26 minutes.
Getting here took real work. Simmons did not play at all during the 2025-26 season after going unsigned, and his last contract was with the Clippers in 2024-25. Kings general manager Scott Perry worked him out in Miami this summer, and Simmons later traveled to Sacramento, where he passed an in depth medical exam and impressed coach Doug Christie and his staff in an on court workout. He agreed to a one year, $3.5 million deal on September 4, brought in as a backup to Acuff before earning his way toward a starting job in camp.
Simmons responded on Instagram shortly after the news broke. “I’ve faced challenges before that tested me mentally, physically, and emotionally, and I’ve found a way through every single one of them,” he wrote. “This injury is another chapter in my journey, not the end of my story.”
He will not lose money on the deal. His contract was reportedly non guaranteed, but ESPN’s Bobby Marks reported that because the injury is significant, Simmons will still receive his full salary.
Injuries have followed Simmons for years. The 2016 No. 1 overall pick and three time All-Star has appeared in just 108 games over the last five seasons since forcing his way out of Philadelphia, with brief stints in Brooklyn and with the Clippers while he worked back from back surgeries.
The Ben Simmons Achilles tear is also the third of the preseason around the league, after Oklahoma City’s Otega Oweh and Philadelphia’s Ariel Hukporti suffered the same injury earlier this month. For Simmons, it means another long road back, with the comeback he fought for pushed to 2027 at the earliest.
