Ben Simmons of the Brooklyn Nets hasn’t played for his home country of Australia since the 2013 FIBA Oceania Championship.
Following that, injuries and career complications have repeatedly prevented him from playing for Australia in the Olympics.
But he still hopes to represent his homeland at some point.
According to Code Sports, via NBACentral, Simmons said he wants to play in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“Ultimately, it’s my dream. … I want to put on that green and gold and represent. … My goal is to play in the next Olympics,” Simmons said.
Ben Simmons wants to play in the next Olympics
“Ultimately, it’s my dream… I want to put on that green and gold and represent… My goal is to play in the next Olympics.”
(Via Code Sports / h/t @NBL ) pic.twitter.com/ytSaT86MPS
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 1, 2024
He has said this before and it never panned out, so what are the chances of Simmons playing for Australia in the future?
Simmons was planning to be at the 2024 Paris Olympics but his back injury didn’t allow that.
Last year, he couldn’t play in the FIBA World Cup because of another injury and he missed out on the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics because he was working on his game.
Although Simmons says he wants to wear the Team Australia jersey, he might not be able to because injuries don’t seem to be going away.
The Nets recently announced that Simmons won’t play in both legs of back-to-back games for the foreseeable future.
He sat out a recent game against the Denver Nuggets before playing against the Memphis Grizzlies.
During that game, Simmons posted eight points and five rebounds.
The Nets are doing this to keep Simmons healthy, which is a concerning move this early in the season.
He’s healthier than he has been in years, but that could all change quickly, like it has in the past.
That means his future with the Nets and Team Australia is once again in question.
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