Ben Simmons Issues Statement After Suffering Season-Ending Achilles Injury Hours Before Return Documentary Aired

Ben Simmons was expected to make an NBA comeback in the 2026-27 season. He sat out all of 2025-26 to get healthy after years of nagging injuries, and he looked sharp in the Sacramento Kings’ preseason. Despite all that work, he now faces another long road back.

The Australian tore his right Achilles tendon on Sunday during a practice session with the Sacramento Kings. As a result, Ben will be forced to miss another year of NBA action. Despite the complicated situation Simmons is in, he went on social media to reassure fans that this isn't the end of the road for him.

"I've faced challenges before that tested me mentally, physically, and emotionally, and I've found a way through every single one of them," Simmons wrote on his Instagram stories, reposted by NBA insider Marc Stein on X. "This injury is another chapter in my journey, not the end of my story."

"It's never easy being away from the game I love, especially after everything it took to get back here," Simmons continued. "But if there's one thing I've learned, it's that adversity doesn't define you. How you respond to it does. I've been knocked down before, and I've always found a way to get back up. This time will be no different."

What makes the situation more disheartening is how his comeback documentary on ESPN was aired on the same day of his injury. Nevertheless, while others may view it as an opportunity that has gone to waste, Simmons is looking ahead and insists this won’t be the end of his story.

Ben Simmons Explains Recovery Process Leading Up To Supposed NBA Return

The documentary, Being Ben, comes from ESPN’s E60 in association with Andscape. It traces his career from his childhood in Australia through his turbulent years with the Sixers, and it ends with his return to the NBA.

That return became official in September, when Simmons shocked the basketball world by announcing that he signed a one-year deal with the Kings after sitting out the entire 2025-26 season.

In his documentary, he shared what it was like going through those rough moments in his career and why he still decided to come back despite his circumstances looking hopeless.

"Everyone has that thing they love & have passion for — basketball is that passion for me,” Simmons said.

"I’ve played through injuries… if I didn’t love the game, trust me, I’d be at home," Simmons added. "I’d be fishing. I could go to Australia now, go get a nice home, be on the reef, fishing, find a wife, have some kids, & call it a day, but I love this s**t."

Given his statements on the documentary, it's likely that Simmons won't go back on his word when he reassured fans on social media that he still intends to play in the NBA after he recovers from his Achilles injury. It's now a matter of when he will return.