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Ben Simmons, the player the Philadelphia 76ers took No. 1 overall in the 2016 NBA Draft, remains a free agent with just over one month remaining until the start of the 2025-26 regular season.
According to league insider Marc Stein, the New York Knicks offered Simmons a one-year contract that would pay him a league-minimum salary, but he rejected it. The New York Post's Stefan Bondy also reported on Sept. 3 that Simmons was "questioning" whether he wanted to continue playing professional basketball, placing him at the center of retirement rumors over the past two weeks.
Simmons has since addressed those rumors with a one-word statement on social media.
Is Ben Simmons retiring?
On Sunday, Simmons posted a series of photos from a recent trip he took to his home country of Australia. The subject of many comments on the post, unsurprisingly, was Simmons' status for the upcoming campaign.
One user, @brandoncisneros48, went as far as to ask, "Is bro retired?"
Simmons provided a brief response to the comment: "no."
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) September 15, 2025With the Knicks now seemingly out of the equation (in terms of teams that could sign him), Simmons has few remaining options. Stein reported that the Boston Celtics have shown interest in adding him to their roster, but Simmons' salary demands — somewhere above the league minimum — have made it difficult for him to strike a deal with them or any other franchise.
If that deal is struck before the end of the calendar year, Simmons will join his third different team in the past 12 months. On Feb. 8, the Brooklyn Nets bought him out of the lucrative extension it took on after acquiring him in a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers two years prior; he signed a contract with the Los Angeles Clippers for the remainder of the 2024-25 season two days later.
The NBA Rookie of the Year in 2018, Simmons has also earned three All-Star selections and made two appearances on the league's All-Defensive First Team over the course of his career.
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