NBA: Simmons of Nets to miss rest of NBA season with back trouble

Ben Simmons #10 of the Brooklyn Nets dribbles during the first half against the Boston Celtics at Barclays Center on February 13, 2024 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. | Getty Images via AFP

Brooklyn guard Ben Simmons will miss the rest of the NBA regular season because of his ongoing back trouble, the Nets said on Thursday.

The former top draft pick from Australia, a three-time NBA All-Star, missed the entire 2021-22 season with back issues before undergoing surgery for a herniated disc in May of 2022.

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This season he has played just 15 games because of the injury.

“Ben Simmons will remain out for the remainder of the season while he consults with specialists and explores treatment options for the nerve impingement in his lower back,” the Nets said in a statement.

“Simmons, along with his representatives and Nets medical personnel, are currently in discussions with numerous experts to determine the course of action that will provide him with the best opportunity for long-term sustainable health.”

Simmons averaged 6.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists for the Nets this season.

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Simmons was traded to the Nets in February 2022 after a turbulent end to his five-season stint with the Philadelphia 76ers.

His relationship with the Sixers foundered after the team bowed out of the 2021 playoffs to the Atlanta Hawks in a series in which Simmons was criticized for his failure to take a shooting opportunity towards the end of the series-deciding game seven.

Simmons, who later said he felt the Sixers were unsupportive as he dealt with mental health issues along with his back injury, asked for a trade in August 2021 and eventually landed in Brooklyn, where back issues continued to sideline him for the rest of the 2021-22 season.

Since being acquired by the Nets Simmons has played in 57 of a possible 190 games.