The NBA is the pinnacle for almost every basketball player, young or old, when it comes to what they want to do in their career.
Well, for one former NBA All-Star who was once believed to be the next LeBron James, it might just be a detour on the way to his bigger sporting dream.
Australia’s Ben Simmons was the No. 1 overall pick in 2016, selected by the Philadelphia 76ers, and was seen as one of the future faces of the NBA. In tandem with the big man Joel Embiid, the Sixers duo was projected to rule over the Eastern Conference for the next decade-plus with Simmons’ genius passing and Embiid’s raw strength.
Instead, Simmons regressed and developed on-court anxiety with his shooting, which led him to part ways with the Sixers and become a journeyman in the league before ending up teamless in 2025.
While Simmons has options beyond the NBA, including playing in Europe or returning home to Australia, he has decided to take a different path to become a champion: fishing.
“The way I see it, it’s like the new F1 for fishing. The new LIV Golf for fishing,” Simmons told Andscape’s Marc J. Spears in an exclusive interview on his future. “The first real competitive sport fishing championship. It’s a league of 16 teams, which is growing and expanding. And so, we’ll go out there and compete in various different tournaments, and there’ll be a champion crowned at the end.”
Simmons is now the controlling operator of the South Florida Sails club in the Sport Fishing Championship. The SFC is a professional offshore saltwater fishing league that includes 16 teams across the country, including teams from Texas, Alabama, and Florida.
Although the Aussie assist man believes he can still help an NBA team this season, he doesn’t want to join a team to just play on the bench or take up a roster spot. He wants to make a difference and thinks the SFC has the potential to become one of the next emerging sports leagues in America, along with pickleball and cricket.
Simmons last played for the Los Angeles Clippers, averaging 2.9 points and 16 minutes per game in the 2024-25 season.