Ben Simmons makes NBA comeback after signing $3.5mn Kings contract

Three-time NBA All-Star Ben Simmons is returning to the league after agreeing to a one-year, $3.5-million contract with the Sacramento Kings.

Simmons' agents confirmed the deal to ESPN on Friday. Teh 30-year-old missed the entire 2025-26 season while recovering from lingering back and leg injuries.

Now healthy, Simmons impressed Kings general manager Scott Perry during a workout and meeting in Miami in August.

He later travelled to Sacramento, where he underwent a medical examination, completed an on-court workout and met the team's coaching staff.

The Kings are expected to use him as a backup point guard to rookie Darius Acuff Jr., while his versatility could allow him to play multiple positions.

Simmons was selected first overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2016 NBA Draft and won Rookie of the Year in 2018 and he has also played for the Brooklyn Nets and LA Clippers.

Across 383 regular-season games Simmons has averaged 13.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.2 assists.

His last NBA appearance came for the Clippers against the Denver Nuggets in the 2025 playoffs.

Sacramento finished last season with a 22-60 record, tied for the worst in the Western Conference.