Ben Simmons, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft, has agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Sacramento Kings, according to ESPN.
The Australian point guard, a three-time All-Star, returns to the league after missing the entire 2025-26 season while recovering from chronic back problems.
Simmons, 30, last appeared in an NBA game for the Los Angeles Clippers, playing in 18 games between March and April 2025. The agreement was confirmed by his agents to ESPN in the United States on Friday.
Reports last month indicated Simmons had recovered and was training normally without restrictions. He is also hoping to earn a place on the Australian national team for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Injury-hit career
Philadelphia 76ers selected Simmons with the first pick of the 2016 draft after his time at Louisiana State University, but injury delayed his NBA debut by a year.
He won the 2017-18 Rookie of the Year award in his first season and was twice named to the NBA's All-Defensive team. The 76ers reached the playoffs during his early years in Philadelphia, a franchise with a long history in the league dating back to the 1940s.
Injuries have repeatedly interrupted his progress since then. Simmons has not played more than 58 games in a single season since 2018-19.
Across 383 career games, 344 of them as a starter, Simmons averages 13.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Besides the 76ers, he has also played for the Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Clippers.
Kings prepare for new season
Sacramento will play its first preseason game on October 5 at home against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Kings open the regular season on October 21 against the Los Angeles Clippers, in Los Angeles, the team Simmons is leaving behind.
