Ben Simmons Biography Facts, Childhood And Personal Life

Ben Simmons of Philadelphia 76ers
Ben Simmons (Point guard / Forward) of Philadelphia 76ers. (Image: Fox Sports Asia)

Ben Simmons is a professional Basketball player from Australia who has consistently proven his worth as one of the best in the game of basketball. Aside from hard work, one essential quality that predominantly stands out among the very large array of discipline cultivated by athletes is consistency. From soccer to tennis, baseball to athletics, volleyball to the all inspiring basketball, consistency is a major asset that has catapulted players who have incorporated this very simple but mentally difficult asset in their life. We examine the rise of this young professional to the pinnacles of his career in our Ben Simmons biography facts, childhood and personal life.

Ben Simmons Biography Facts

Full Name:Benjamin David Simmons
Nickname:Fresh Prince
Born:July 20, 1996 (age 27 years)
Place of Birth:Melbourne, Victoria
Nationality:Australian
Occupation:Basketball Player
League:NBA
Current Team:Philadelphia 76ers
Position:Point guard / Forward
Playing Career:2016–present
Net Worth:$10 million
Height:6 feet 10 inches
Shoe Size:14
Weight:230 lbs (104 kg)
Education:Montverde Academy; Whitefriars College; Box Hill Senior Secondary College; Louisiana State University
Parents:Dave Simmons (father); Julie Simmons (mother)
Siblings:Liam Tribe-Simmons (brother); Sean Simmons (brother); Olivia Simmons (sister); Melissa Tribe (sister); Emily Katherine Tribe (sister)
Partner:N/A
Children:N/A
Zodiac Sign:Cancer

Ben Simmons Childhood and Early Life

Born and raised in Melbourne until he was 18 months old, Ben was raised along with five siblings. He has four half-siblings, Melissa, Emily, Liam and Sean, and one full sibling, Olivia Simmons. Despite having different father’s, Ben and his siblings were raised up together. Ben’s father played in the Australian National Basketball League with the Melbourne Tigers. His father is an American citizen by naturalisation, making Ben eligible for American citizenship.

At Newcastle, Ben began playing basketball at the age of 12. He played for the U-12 representative team for the Newcastle Hunters. Young Ben also experimented with other sports, playing for the western suburbs in the junior rugby league as well as in the local Newcastle Rugby League for South Newcastle. Ben continued playing basketball but at Melbourne after he moved back to the city when he was 10.

At Melbourne, Ben played for the Knox Raiders. Aside from basketball and rugby, Ben also played Australian football, featuring regularly for Beverly Hills Junior Football Club, claiming league best and fairest award in the Yarra Junior football league. Despite playing several sports, Ben was distracted. He was named MVP after he helped his side to claim the Year-7 Division 1A Basketball premiership.

Ben’s love for Australian football and basketball continued into his teenage years. But soon Ben had to focus on one as he eventually opted for basketball. Ben represented Box Hill Senior Secondary College at the 2011 Australian Schools Championship. At the age of 15, Ben represented the Australia national under-17 basketball team at the 2012 FIBA U-17 World Cup where they won silver.

Ben Simmons Basketball Career

High School Career

Ben moved to the United States in 2013, to improve his basketball skills, playing against his peers. While at the US, Ben played for Montverde Academy. He helped Montverde claim the High School National Tournament. He also played in the Jordan Brand Classic International Tournament. He then went on to play in the Big V competition for the Bullen Boomers in Australia.

In his Junior year at Montverde, he helped his side to a 28-0 unbeaten run, which saw them claim another High School National Tournament. During the tournament, Ben registered an average of 18.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. He also registered a total of 88 blocks during the season. His wonderful performance earned him the tournament MVP. He also was awarded America’s top high school junior honour. He further was named MVP at the National Basketball Players’ Association Top 100 camp.

In 2014, Ben signed to play for Louisiana State University. In January 2015, it was announced that Ben would be a starter for the east team at the McDonald All-American Game.

At the Game, Ben was given the Morgan Wootten Award, making him the second Florida high school student to be awarded the award. He also received the Naismith Prep Player of the Year and Gatorade National Player of the Year honours. Following his performance at the McDonald All-American Game, he helped Montverde to a third successive High School National Tournament. He was enlisted as a five-star recruit by ESPN, ranking him as the no 1 player in the country.

College Career

In his freshman year, Ben debuted for LSU in the first game of a five-game tour in Australia. Upon returning to the US, Ben was featured in the cover of Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook for its 35th anniversary. He also received SEC Preseason Player of the Year and was named to the Associated Press preseason All-America team. Ben’s consistent impressive performance, earned him the title of best all-around player since LeBron James by Magic Johnson, an NBA Hall of Fame. At the end of the regular season, Ben was named to All-Southeastern Conference First team. He also emerged the Freshman of the Year at the 2016 SEC voting. Despite Ben efforts, LSU ranked a dismal 21st in the preseason AP Top 25 vote.

Professional Career

Philadelphia 76ers (2016–present)

Ben went on to sign with sports agency Klutch sports as he declared for the 2016 NBA draft. Before the NBA draft, NBA media analysts raised questions with regard to Ben’s attitude. But Philadelphia 76ers coach, Brett Brown, a family friend debunked the claims. Ben was chosen as the Philadelphia 76ers number one overall pick.

Ben went on to play in the 2016 NBA Summer League. Despite shooting poorly in his first three games in the Summer League, Ben received praises for his passing. He went on to receive All-Las Vegas Summer League First Team honours. He suffered an injury in his right ankle after he rolled it in a training session with the 76ers. His foot and ankle were subjected to x-ray scanning which revealed he had a fracture in his right foot. Ben was ruled out for four months. Ben showed no sign of recovery, and thus could not play in the 2016/17 regular season.

Despite doubts concerning his ability after he was out of action for an entire season, Ben’s performance in the 2017/18 season was outstanding. He made the record as the third rookie to register 1000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists as well as the player with the second highest triple-doubles in a rookie season. Ben further received Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month in February, March and April and the Eastern Conference Player of the Week in April. He helped the 76ers to the playoff before they lost to the Boston Celtics. He was awarded the Rookie of the Year as well as named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.

Ben went on to work with his brother, Liam Tribe-Simmons, who had coached the University of California as well as other teams. Those training paid off as he went on to become the second fastest player in the NBA to register 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists. Ben also became the first Australian to be named to the Eastern Conference All-Star reserve.

National team career

Ben has been associated with the Australia National side since he was 15, featuring in the 2012 FIBA Under-17 World Championship. He played for the senior side in the 2013 FIBA Oceania Championship where they won Gold. Ben was left out from the Australian squad that played in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup. Though he indicated his intention to play for Australia in the 2016 Rio De Janeiro summer Olympics, decided against the move to focus on his rookie season. Ben has indicated his intention to play in the 2019 FIBA World Cup as well as the 2020 Tokyo summer Olympics.

Ben Simmons Personal Life

  • There are rumours indicating that Ben, is involved in a romantic relationship with Kendall Jenner and Tinashe.
  • His cousin was killed in 2016 in a hit and run accident.
  • His brother, Liam Tribe-Simmons resigned in 2018 after he hired him to train him on his shots.
  • Ben was featured in a documentary, One and Done, that detail his journey from high school to being picked as the number one overall pick for the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2016 NBA draft.

Ben Simmons Highlights, Achievements and Awards

  1. NBA All-Star (2019)
  2. NBA Rookie of the Year (2018)
  3. NBA All-Rookie First Team (2018)
  4. Consensus first-team All-American (2016)
  5. USBWA National Freshman of the Year (2016)
  6. First-team All-SEC (2016)
  7. SEC Freshman of the Year (2016)
  8. Mr Basketball USA (2015)
  9. Gatorade National Player of the Year (2015)
  10. Naismith Prep Player of the Year (2015)
  11. McDonald’s All-American (2015)
  12. First-team Parade All-American (2015)

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