Brooklyn Nets’ Ben Simmons hasn’t played a lot of baseball in 2023, but that could change in the summer. According to ESPN’s Adrian Windhorst, Simmons wants to play for Team Australia at the upcoming 2023 FIBA World Cup.
Currently, the only obstacle for Simmons in making his wish come true is his health. The 26-year-old player has been dealing with a back injury for the better part of the 2022-23 season and is still rehabbing.
The 2023 FIBA World Cup, hosted by the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia, starts on August 25. In case Simmons manages to recover, it would be his first appearance for Team Australia in a decade. He last played for the national side in 2013 at the 2013 FIBA Oceania Championship.
After the reports came out, Team Australia head coach Brian Goorjian said in a radio interview on Friday that there is hope Simmons will return to the national side.
“I think his mindset is getting healthy, getting in shape, and getting ready to play in this [World Cup],” Goorjian said. “There were unfortunate circumstances [why he didn’t play at the Olympics], but I feel like he is going to make himself available.”
Simmons endured a rough 2022-23 campaign, his first with the Nets. He was limited to 42 games and averaged 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 6.1 assists, all career-lows.
