SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Ben Simmons' long road back to the NBA hit another wall Sunday, when the Sacramento Kings guard ruptured the Achilles tendon in his right leg while going through a live practice drill, three days before he was set to play his first regular-season game in well over a year.
The Kings said imaging confirmed the tear and that Simmons will have surgery. The club gave no timetable for his return, but the injury is expected to cost him the entire season.
Simmons, 30, missed all of 2025-26 to let lingering back and leg issues heal. His last season above 51 appearances came in 2020-21 with Philadelphia. He proved his fitness over the summer when he joined Australia's national team for an August minicamp, then agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million contract with Sacramento in September.
The fall camp went well. Simmons started Friday's exhibition loss to San Antonio and put up 14 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in 26 minutes, and he was in line to open the season in the starting lineup alongside rookie Darius Acuff Jr.
His deal carried a $1 million guarantee only if he made the opening-night roster, but because the injury is so serious he will still collect his full salary.
Simmons posted a statement Sunday night calling the setback another chapter rather than the end of his story and vowing to come back, as players and analysts around the league shared their sympathy.
The Kings now have to rework their rotation on short notice. De'Andre Hunter could move back into the starting five, though Precious Achiuwa is also needed as a backup center with Maxime Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell both injured. Sacramento could also look to free agency for a veteran guard. The Kings open Wednesday at home against the Los Angeles Clippers.
The top pick in the 2016 draft, Simmons made three All-Star teams with the 76ers before a holdout led to his trade to Brooklyn, where back injuries and disc surgery limited him. He finished the 2024-25 season with the Clippers.
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