This past Friday, September 30, it was announced that first pick in the 2016 NBA draft, Ben Simmons, had fractured the fifth metatarsal in one of his feet.  

Simmons was born in Melbourne, Australia, and is the son of David Simmons, a former 13 year Australian pro-baller.  Ben grew up down under, but moved to the United States for high school.  Pursuing an intense love for the game at a young age, the move was in part so that Simmons could play against “the best.”

His foot injury occurred in a scrimmage game against other members of the Philadelphia 76ers, causing at the very least a minor setback to his playing career.  Amongst contributing factors, Simmons purposely tried to put on extra weight over the summer to prepare for the upcoming season.  Determined to bulk up and gain more strength, the ball player went from 217 to 240 pounds, in only a few months. Tim Grover, the personal trainer of Michael Jordan, added his insight on Twitter, noting, “Athletes can’t add that much weight that quickly w/out impacting movement.”  

Ben Simmons’s game as well as physique have been repeatedly compared to basketball great Lebron James, but since they now weigh similarly, the rookie’s game will be affected short-term.  Known as a “Jones fracture”, players usually take leave for 6-8 weeks.

The Australian native will have surgery sometime this week.  Although his return does not have an estimated date, ‘76ers coach Bryan Colangelo put out a statement announcing, “In no way will we rush him back.” Eager NBA fans across the nation will have to sit back and wait to see what happens next with Simmons.