Getting Into The Game With Ben Simmons

Photo Credit: Scott McDermott

 BY LAURA SCHREFFLER

PHOTOGRAPHY SCOTT MCDERMOTT

PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT GARY POWELL

STYLING WESMORE PERRIOTT

STYLING ASSISTANT BRYAN JOEL

GROOMING LOUIS “EARSTHEBARBER” REXACH JR.

SHOT ON LOCATION AT THE GREENWICH BY RAFAEL VINOLY

I learn some interesting facts about NBA star Ben Simmons in a relatively short period of time. Such as: he has size 16 feet, bought a fluffy French bulldog months ago that he still hasn’t named simply because nothing has spoken to him yet, doesn’t do karaoke but has a song picked out just in case it ever happens (“Lifestyle” by Young Thug and Future, for enquiring minds), and loves all kinds of games (especially video games — in particular, Call of Duty, being a preferred pastime when he isn’t playing basketball). But there is one game he hasn’t played at age 28, and so naturally, that’s how we kick things off. It’s Two Truths and a Lie time.

“I spearfish, I’ve got four dogs, and one cat,” the (at press time) Brooklyn Nets point guard says, playing along. He speaks softly, with an accent that slips fluidly between his native Australian and acquired American from one word to the next.

Unfortunately for Simmons, I win this game far too easily. A) he owns an apparel company called Reel One Fishing Club, and B) his love of dogs is well-documented; he currently has four fur babies — two Cane Corsos and two fluffy Frenchies. The obvious answer is C.

However, the way Simmons plays this particular game does tell me something about his personality as a whole. There’s something wholesome about him, something straightforward. All eyes inevitably and immediately turn to him when he enters a room, and not just by virtue of his towering, six-foot 10-inch frame, either: there is a quiet dignity about him, an easy grace.

Photo Credit: Scott McDermott

He certainly doesn’t give flashy in the way that some of his peers do. Although he loves extravagant things, including supercars (“I’ve had every car I’ve ever wanted,” the lucky man declares) like a Ferrari 812 GTS, a custom Bentley Continental GT W12, a Rolls-Royce Cullinan and Wraith, and a Porsche 918 Spyder, and timepieces such as an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph and a Rolex Day-Date 40, and also makes it a point to attend major cultural events like the 2024 Met Gala and the US Open, he’s also, quite interestingly, a self-professed “homebody and nerd.”

Perhaps his priorities have shifted with his health. Simmons hasn’t had the easiest time in the NBA, having been plagued by injuries from the beginning of his career, which began at an extremely young age. He left LSU, where he was named a consensus first-team All-American and the USBWA National Freshman of the Year, after just one season to enter the 2016 NBA draft, where he was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the first overall pick (yet, never actually set foot on the court in his rookie season due to a foot fracture during a preseason scrimmage). He quickly rebounded though and was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2018, with an ensuing three-time NBA All-Star selection, All-NBA Third Team and the NBA All-Defensive First team, with the additional credibility of becoming the NBA steals leader in 2020. But then, a back injury caused him to sit out the entire 2021-22 season, which resulted in his first back surgery and a trade to the Brooklyn Nets. Another back injury — another nerve impingement, but in a different spot from the first — resulted in a short season in 2022-23, as well as sitting out the first 38 games of 2023-24. He played in only 15 games before there was the need for surgery yet again, this time a microscopic partial discectomy to alleviate a pinched nerve in his lower back. Needless to say, partying over prioritizing his health isn’t something Simmons is looking to do. He would choose being a homebody every single time if it meant good health.

“After being injured for two years and having multiple back surgeries, being able to get on the court, be healthy, and being able to compete gives me joy. My goal was to get on the court and be able to compete and play. So far, I’ve already played more games than last season, which I’m grateful for. Showing up every day and going to work, that brings me true happiness,” he maintains.

Although Simmons has had to sit out (at press time) 17 games this season and is coming to the end of his five-year, $177 million contract with the Nets, he’s still optimistic about the future despite the looming February 6 trade deadline; this season has, after all, signaled a comeback. “Personally, I just want to stay healthy — that’s my number one goal. After that, I want to focus on what we have going on in Brooklyn right now, and that’s rebuilding. For me, that means being a leader, showing up, and teaching these guys the right way to do things on the court… because I remember coming in as a rookie, being a younger guy and not having too many vets that I could lean on. I’ve seen so many different things and experienced so many different things in this league; I’m able to share that with them and hopefully help them learn some things along the way.”

Photo Credit: Scott McDermott

Such as? “I’d say to always keep your circle small. Always be involved and invested in what you’re doing — and what your circle is doing. I think it’s important to realize what’s going on and knowing who’s around you. To help when you can, but to also have boundaries. It’s also important not to be a ‘yes’ man.”

Not that Simmons would ever or has ever described himself as such, but allows that “there are some things you’ve got to go through, certain things you’ve got to learn, certain things you need to experience for yourself. It isn’t always easy to say what needs to be said, and I think I learned that pretty quickly.”

His experience in the NBA, despite not having vets to lean on, was gleaned by watching how players and past teammates like Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant conducted and carried themselves on and off the court. “Their work ethic is unmatched,” he says. “Seeing that, being their teammate, helped me focus on what I needed to do as a player. Also seeing how they took care of their bodies was important, how they put that extra time in to stay healthy. [Former player and current LA Lakers head coach] JJ Redick is another [person I learned from]. I remember him talking about how the window to win a championship is so small. He’s right: I’m in my ninth year, and it’s going by so fast.”

Yet, for all of the issues, the stops and starts, and the frustrations, Simmons swears he wouldn’t change a thing about his NBA career. “There are certain things you wish you could do differently, but at the same time, I’ve grown so much from everything I’ve been through; I wouldn’t want to be anyone besides who I am. You might not always have the answers as to why something is happening, but I do really believe that eventually, it builds you up for a reason. You’ve got to go through it to become who you’re supposed to be.

“I felt that for the last two years, just trying to rehab, with the fans talking and the pressures of trying to get healthy,” he continues, sharing that he feels as if he’s weathered one of the toughest storms of his life and come out on the other side of it. “After all of that, I was like, if I don’t break now, then I’m never going to break. I feel like I not only had the strength to go through it, but also was able to stay grounded and realize what the situation really was. There are so many people saying so many different things, but only you really know the truth. You know what the situation is with yourself, and that’s the reality.”

Photo Credit: Scott McDermott

Simmons is referring to incessant online chatter about his injuries, his career itself, and more — most of it negative, all of it detrimental to the healing process. “I almost can’t go online anymore,” he confesses. “It’s changed the way the game is played, in a way. When I first came into the league, social media was big, but it certainly isn’t what it is now. I feel like people are way looser with it now [and as a result] I don’t go on social media too much. It’s gotten pretty bad — pretty negative — which is scary, because that’s the world we live in.”

He does use it though, of course, but sparingly. In 2024, he only posted on Instagram three times — about the aforementioned Met Gala and a virtual announcement that he had returned to the court — but mostly goes online to message friends or send them memes.

Simmons isn’t using it for dating these days, though. He shares, “Obviously, when I was younger, it was a lot different. But now, I’m not on there trying to find my soulmate.”

So how does a man with such a robust and well-documented dating history — of which I won’t get into here —actually manage to date, especially when he’s a self-declared homebody? The answer: sparingly and intentionally. “I feel like a lot of the people I’ve met recently have been through mutual friends, where I’ve known them in some capacity already. It’s hard, because I’m not out that often, and if you’re not out that often, how are you going to meet people? I love being at home — which is crazy, I know, because I live in New York. But it’s different for me, you know? I would love to go to a bar like a normal person, but that’s not my reality. My reality is not normal. Someone inevitably will be on their phone taking a picture; I can’t escape it. If I step out with anybody, then I’m automatically labeled as in a relationship with that person. So, you have to find peace in it or find your ways to get around it. And for me, that means just not going out. I mean, I’m 6’10” — it’s kind of hard to be under the radar. When I’m at home, I’m in my safe place.”

Photo Credit: Scott McDermott

HOME MIGHT BE BEN SIMMONS’ safe place, but his happy place is definitely the water. Maybe it’s because he grew up surrounded by ocean in Melbourne, Australia, or because his star sign is cancer. Whatever the reason, the sea is soothing — especially when he’s fishing.

“Fishing is my happiness; it’s my peace. That’s my little thing to do when I’m away from the court,” he shares post-shoot. The sun is setting from the yet-to-be-opened penthouse of Financial District residential skyscraper The Greenwich by Rafael Viñoly. Simmons’ profile is half in shadow thanks to the setting sun, almost like a mask.

He tells me about his passion, and how it inspired a business move that will hopefully continue long after his NBA career is over. It started in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, where his American father, Dave, was playing professional basketball overseas.

“I’ve been fishing since I was young, like seven years old. Similar to New York, [my family was] right on the water. I used to go down to the rocks and cast out my lines. I loved it, even though I never caught anything but small fish. There was just something about the patience, the technique, knowing how to rig a reel or line, knowing the different hooks and what they’re used for, that was just interesting to me. And from there on out, every summer, I would get a house in Miami, on the water. Eventually, I got a boat. And then, I had the idea to start Reel One Fishing Club — the idea behind which was functionable but fashionable fishing.”

He’s wearing items from the brand now, a bucket hat and sweatshirt, both black, with rainbow-colored letters boldly boasting its name. He wears it frequently — not just to self-promote but because it, too, makes him feel safe. “It makes me feel comfortable wearing this hat or this hoodie or T-shirt; it’s something I’m used to,” he notes.

Photo Credit: Scott McDermott

When combined, all of these elements signfy the ultimate sweet spot. “I didn’t even realize it until I spent a whole summer in Miami on the boat, but it’s what I love to do — go out 100 miles, fish, and see what’s out there. When I get on the boat, I feel like a whole different person comes out,” Simmons admits.

In a perfect world, it sounds like the Miami Heat would be the next stop on his journey. Life in the NBA can change on a dime — and although his future with the Nets was still up in the air at the time of our interview and photo shoot, there had already been behind-the-scenes discussion of a trade… but only time will tell. Still, given how much he loves the Magic City, it makes sense to ask him if there’s a true desire to play for its NBA team. And as it turns out, it is something he’s thought about.

“I think Miami has a great organization. There’s a certain standard and level that they keep there, which I love.” He likens the team to Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida, which he, a dual citizen, attended after a move from Australia in 2013. “Coach Boyle wasn’t exactly militant, but he didn’t play favorites: there were no different rules from player to player. It was always just one way across the board, and I think the Miami Heat is the same. You always want to be part of an organization or coached by certain people that have that mindset, that have been there before and experienced that.”

Although Simmons sent some shockwaves through the NBA community in late January when he told Tommy Alter of “The Young Man and the Three” podcast that he almost retired over the summer due to frustration following his back surgery, he insists he’s still very much invested in his chosen career path.

“The older you get, the more you realize it’s a job — but at the same time, your appreciation for the game itself grows. I’m personally always grateful for how far I’ve come. The best part for me about being in the NBA is how I’ve been able to grow and figure out who I am as a person,” he declares.

And although he’d like to be Superman (or at least have his ability to fly), Simmons is highly aware that he’s a mere mortal — and as such, also knows that, as a human, he’s better for his flaws, disappointments, and imperfections. They’ve shaped him into the person he’s become — stoic, hardworking, and loving, someone that places value on the right things.

“Being a professional athlete is nice and lovely, but I know who my people are: my core friends, my family, the people who have been there for me from the start. I think it’s so important to just always remind yourself of that. I think it’s important to be aware of that, especially when you’re surrounded by people who love the fame, the money, and all the stuff that comes with it. For me, it’s not about that: my favorite part of being in the NBA has been being able to represent my family, myself, and my country. So many great players, so many legends, have played this game, and every time I put on that jersey, it feels surreal.”

The negatives don’t outweigh the positives, but they’re there, and he’s pragmatic about them. Simmons admits, “I think the BS that comes with everything is [the worst part of being in the NBA] for me. Sometimes it’s not about basketball itself, but the business side, or the antics that come with it. That’s why I don’t really talk too much online — it always comes back to bite me.”

And so, staying off the ‘gram has been a way of protecting his mental health, but also a way of keeping his head down, drowning out the noise, and focusing on the things that truly matter — family, friends, rehabbing, and being the best baller he can be. Outside of that “W” that all athletes strive for, there is and has been only one true goal all along. “I think that for me, happiness is the number one thing. That extends from the way I live to basketball to being there for friends and family. I think taking care of all those things has been my priority,” he shares.

Pinpointing what he feels to be the greatest luxury in life is equally as definitive. “Freedom,” he declares. “Playing in the NBA and being able to make the money I’ve made has given me a lot of freedom and given my family freedom. And to me, freedom and time go hand in hand. I mean, money also makes things a lot easier in terms of what you’re doing, where you’re living, and alleviates certain stressors. You can eat where you want, have a home, running water, buy clothes. But it also adds a lot of stress in other ways, and I’m always mindful of that.”

As the sun sets, Simmons briefly turns his head and looks out at New York City, towards Brooklyn, his home of the past three years. He’s at a career crossroads, but whatever direction the wind turns, he’ll be ready — with the hope that the world will see that he is human, and he’s doing the best he possibly can. As he prepares to get up and go, he turns to me to share his final thoughts about his NBA journey, saying, “As time goes on, I’m opening up more and more. And I think, with time, people will understand who I am as a person and what I’m about.”

And that’s all truth — no word of a lie.

Photo Credit: Scott McDermott

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