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In year 7, while attending Whitefriars College, Simmons was named MVP after he helped Whitefriars win the Year-7 Division 1A Basketball premiership. Along with basketball, he also played Australian rules football at the junior level. Īt age 10, Simmons returned to Melbourne and began playing junior basketball for the Knox Raiders. While in Newcastle, he also played junior rugby league. Simmons began playing basketball at the age of seven in the Newcastle Hunters' under-12 representative team and played two more years for Lake Macquarie and Newcastle. Simmons was raised in Newcastle from the age of 18 months while his father played and coached in the city.
Ben simmons stats professional#
His father played college basketball for Oklahoma City University in the United States before turning professional with the Melbourne Tigers in Australia's National Basketball League in 1989. He was raised alongside five brothers and sisters-Melissa, Emily, Liam, Sean and Olivia-the first four being from his mother's previous marriage.
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His father is an African-American expatriate who became a naturalised citizen of Australia, and his mother is a white Australian. Simmons was born in the Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy to father Dave and mother Julie. 4.1.5 2020–21 season: All-Star and All-Defensive selections.4.1.4 2019–20 season: All-Star, All-NBA and All-Defensive selections.4.1.3 2018–19 season: First All-Star selection.A dual citizen of Australia and the United States, Simmons has played for the Australian national team. Simmons is the son of an American-born father, Dave, who played professional basketball in Australia. Simmons left school to enter the NBA draft, becoming the third Melbourne-born number one overall pick (following Andrew Bogut and Kyrie Irving) in 11 years. In his only season in college, LSU began the season with high expectations, but they failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Simmons attended Box Hill Senior Secondary College in his hometown of Melbourne, Victoria, before moving to the United States to attend Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida. After sitting out a year due to an injured right foot, he was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2018 and was selected three times to the NBA All-Star Game. Simmons was selected with the first overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft by the 76ers. He played college basketball for one season with the Louisiana State University (LSU) Tigers, after which he was named a consensus first-team All-American and the USBWA National Freshman of the Year. Morgan Wootten National Player of the Year ( 2015)īenjamin David Simmons (born 20 July 1996) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).Naismith Prep Player of the Year (2015).Gatorade National Player of the Year (2015).USBWA National Freshman of the Year (2016).Consensus first-team All-American ( 2016).2× NBA All-Defensive First Team ( 2020, 2021).The drama between Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers has probably lost Simmons an All-Star appearance this season and the depth at guard in the East doesn’t help him either.Simmons with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2019 If the decision came down to Simmons and one of these other point guards, there’s a chance that this drama pushes the coaches to choose another guard instead.
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There’s a lot of worthy guards in the East. The Western Conference is even more loaded so if Simmons get’s traded to a team there, it seems like a tall wall for Simmons to overcome either way. There’s a good chance all of them return as All-Stars as well. James Harden, Zach LaVine, Kyrie Irving, Bradley Beal, and Jaylen Brown. That’s not to mention last year’s All-Star guards in the East. However, there are plenty of veteran guards who could push for a spot after missing it last season Jrue Holiday, Kyle Lowry, Trae Young, and Kemba Walker are just a few. LaMelo Ball, Lonzo Ball, Malcolm Brogdon, and Fred VanVleet come to mind as guards who haven’t gotten an All-Star game yet.
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The Eastern Conference has a lot of up-and-coming point guards in the East. Now it’s hard to imagine many coaches not voting for him purely because of this offseason drama, but it could influence their decision. That means that he will have to rely on the coaches voting for him. Simmons has never won a fan vote and don’t expect Sixers fans to vote for him this year. Related Story:Potential four-team Simmons trade
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