MAY 5: Simmons’ procedure today was successful, the Nets announced in a press release. He’ll begin the rehabilitation process after resting for three weeks and “is expected to make a full recovery prior to the start of next season’s training camp.”
MAY 4: Nets guard/forward Ben Simmons will undergo back surgery on Thursday, the team announced (Twitter link via Marc J. Spears of Andscape).
Simmons will undergo a microdiscectomy in order to relieve the pain from his herniated disc after consulting with “multiple back specialists.” The team will provide updates on his status after the surgery.
Simmons is expected to make a full recovery in three-to-four months, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (via Twitter), who says Simmons should be ready for action prior to next season’s training camp.
Over the past few months, head coach Steve Nash had downplayed the possibility of Simmons needing back surgery, per Nick Friedell of ESPN (Twitter link). Simmons will join Dwight Howard, Michael Porter Jr. and Brook Lopez on the list of NBA players who’ve undergone a microdiscectomy, tweets Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, who notes that Warriors coach Steve Kerr also had the procedure and wound up having additional complications and pain.
Simmons missed the entire 2021/22 season after a prolonged holdout with the Sixers following a trade request last summer. He was famously moved on the day of the trade deadline in February (along with Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and a couple of first-round picks) in exchange for James Harden.
Shortly after he was dealt to Brooklyn, Simmons began experiencing pain in his back, and it was reported that he had a herniated L-4 disc in his lower spine. He received an epidural to relieve soreness, and despite seemingly making progress in recent weeks, he ended up missing the team’s first-round playoff sweep at the hands of the Celtics after suffering a setback.
In addition to the back injury, Simmons has also dealt with mental health issues for the past several months. The 25-year-old has been a highly effective (if unconventional) player when he’s been able to suit up, making the All-Star team three times in four seasons in addition to Rookie of the Year, third team All-NBA, and a couple of All-Defensive teams.
In 275 career games (33.9 minutes), all starts, Simmons holds averages of 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 1.7 steals while shooting 56% from the field and 59.7% from the free throw line. He’s under contract through ’24/25 and will make $112.7MM over the next three seasons.
ready to go game 4, to mentally not ready to play to back surgery???
That ain’t his fault, sounds like the team was pushing him into something he literally couldn’t physically handle.
If he literally can’t physically handle playing basketball, it’s probably time for him to find a new career
He will find a way to miss next year from this injury.
I guess all those years of having to carry Embiid and Doc took its toll, lol
“Should be back”
Hey readers! If you’re ever feeling unaccomplished, just remember that you have the same exact amount of points scored in a Nets uniform as Ben Simmons does. Always look on the bright side!!
Get yourself healthy beast, gonna dominate next year can’t wait to see it
Dude is crazy like a fox with a bad back.
Maybe they can throw in a lobotomy to get his head right.
Why didn’t they also his his 3-Pt% when listing his career #?
Same reason they don’t list Shaqs or Hakeem Olajuwon.
Definitely be ready for summer AAU wheel chair ball though.
I thought Markelle Fultz was trying to steal money. Ben Simmons said hold my beer.
He could followed the process
That will keep him out for the next two years.
This didn’t just happen. He either did this while sitting out on his own. Or it just got worse over time, and Sixers knew about it. Which means someone was lying before trade. The trade is nill without a healthy Ben. What if he doesn’t get getter like Kerr. Sounds fishy to me.
Atleast the good thing is. He’s ready to go for training camp. I still believe Ben n KD can be a lethal forward combo. With Kyrie, Ben shouldn’t play the point. Nets are a mess. I wonder if Nash survives this. Just get healthy, what else can you do.
Did the Nets waive the physical?
Hopefully they transplanted a spine into baby Ben’s back. Sadly hes been missing one since he was drafted.
His career is over. You don’t come back from back surgery as good as you were before. This is it
3-4 months for recovery, followed by 3-4 months of not being mentally ready
Sore back from sitting all season
Only haters commenting in here. I don’t get it. I hope Portland can figure out a way to pick this guy up. They need Ben and Ben needs Rip City! He could use the brand rehabilitation, check. He could use the mentorship. Check. They can use some lock down defense. Check. They could use some some more media attention. Check.
He deserves haters but the hate is so heavy its making me 180.
Agreed. Dude was legitimately injured, yet people keep making it seem like it was a fake injury or from sitting around. You don’t get a back procedure done because of either of those two things.
Ben has his issues and deserves a lot of heat, but the endless piling on (and weak jokes) just gets silly at some point.
Wow herniated disc huh? Now I am confused. That is something you don’t just get sitting around watching your team mates play basketball, and it did not just appear. It also nearly ended Steve Kerr’s coaching (i.e. much less physical) career.
Who’s zoomin who here?
He’s already had multiple different major injuries in his career. Remember that he didn’t play in his rookie year because he broke his right foot and it didn’t heal for a long time.
Then he had a nerve impingement in his lower back in 2020 which cost him a bunch of time.
He later hurt his knee during the playoffs and didn’t return.
Now he has a herniated disc that requires surgery. I’m guessing that the nerve impingement was related to the same disc that now requires surgery.
So, regardless of his mental state, his body isn’t holding up to the rigors of playing pro ball which is a real problem.
probably bad lifting technique.
The haters in this site never disappoint, right?
Instead of doing the decent thing & say the “mea culpa”, we were wrong guy wasn’t making up his back problems, clearly he was very seriously injured… no they just keep up their disgraceful ways by hunkering down with their hate!
Folks live some real sad life make no mistake about it!
Ok, Ben.
So does this surgery ever work?
May as well do what you can offseason.
Back pain, just gotta go like he tried to.
I think we can say that both teams lost the PHI-BRK trade as the marquee players have not and probably will not live up to the expectations for their basketball production. Harden is on the downward slide and Simmons is a 25 year-old with a bad back.
Philly steal won. Harden still has more value and trade value than what the Nets got. It may have not been a win but it isn’t a loss. At least their guy plays and they are still playing.
Sometimes mental health issues are real and debilitating. When the person is a celebrity unkind people post nasty disparaging comments. I’m no fan of Ben but perhaps he has some real mental issues to go along with the real physical problems. Perhaps we could learn to feel good about ourselves without all the nasty comments.
As stated in the article Brook Lopez recently had the surgery and is playing.
Couldn’t the mental issues be at least a partial result of the physical ailments he has experienced in his Pro career thus far?
Could be Jackson. But I think he struggled big time dealing with the criticism of his playoff performance with Philly. It can be tough for a youngster to from being coddled and idolized to being trashed.
A win-win trade to a loose-loose trade, let’s see how those draft picks work out.
Surgeon to Ben, “It’s nice to see your back”.
Hopefully they were able to check for guts to see if ben owns any.