Sacramento Kings guard Ben Simmons has suffered a torn Achilles tendon and will have surgery, the team announced Sunday.
The injury is likely to end the season for Simmons, 30, who had put together a strong training camp after joining Sacramento on short notice. The team said it happened during a live drill at Sunday’s practice.
A three-time All-Star, Simmons agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Kings on Sept. 4. He was healthy when the deal was struck. The 6-foot-10, 240-pound guard made a strong impression on Kings general manager Scott Perry during a workout in Miami and an hourlong meeting in late August.
Simmons later traveled to Sacramento to visit the team and won over coach Doug Christie and other members of the basketball staff at the practice facility. There, he went through an in-depth medical exam and an on-court workout.
In the days that followed, the Kings offered him a contract. The expectation was that he would serve as a backup point guard behind rookie Darius Acuff Jr. and play positions 1 through 5. The Kings viewed Simmons as a high-upside reclamation project who still has years left in his prospective prime.
Simmons appeared in two preseason games for the Kings, averaging 10.5 points in 17.5 minutes.
He responded to the injury with a statement on social media.
“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 in a statement posted on social media. “This injury is another chapter in my journey, not the end of my story.”
He added: “It’s never easy being away from the game I love, especially after everything it took to get back here,” Simmons wrote. “But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that adversity doesn’t define you. How you respond to it does.”
The setback is a significant blow for both player and team. Simmons had been seen as a low-risk, high-reward addition who could provide size, playmaking and versatility off the bench. Instead, Sacramento will now have to move forward without him, while Simmons turns his focus to surgery and a lengthy recovery.