What Happened
Ben Simmons' long-awaited NBA comeback is over before it began. The Sacramento Kings announced on Sunday, October 18, 2026, that guard Ben Simmons tore his right Achilles tendon during a live drill at practice. An MRI confirmed the diagnosis, and the team said Simmons will undergo surgery, with further updates to follow.
ESPN's Shams Charania first reported the suspected injury on Sunday evening, and the Kings' official statement later confirmed the worst-case scenario. The injury is widely expected to be season-ending, wiping out Simmons' entire 2026-27 campaign — the season that was supposed to mark his return to the NBA.
How the Injury Happened
The Kings were deep into their final week of training camp when the incident occurred. According to the team's statement, Simmons was hurt during a live drill in practice on Sunday — no contact details were released, which is typical for Achilles injuries, as they often occur on routine basketball movements like planting or pushing off rather than in collisions.
The 30-year-old was immediately evaluated, and an MRI revealed the complete tear of the right Achilles tendon. The Kings described the injury plainly in their press release: "Sacramento Kings guard Ben Simmons was injured during a live drill in practice on Sunday, Oct. 18. An MRI revealed a torn right Achilles tendon. Simmons will undergo surgery."
A torn Achilles is one of the most feared injuries in basketball. While rehabilitation techniques have improved in recent years and players return stronger and faster than they once did, the standard recovery timeline remains roughly 10 to 12 months — which all but guarantees Simmons misses the full 2026-27 season.
The Comeback That Never Got Its Chance
This is what makes the timing so cruel. Simmons, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft and a three-time All-Star, had sat out the entire 2025-26 season to get his body right and his mind in a good place after years of injuries and lost confidence.
He signed with Sacramento last month — a one-year, $3.5 million contract, reportedly non-guaranteed, that would have paid him $1 million if he made the opening-night roster. It was a classic low-risk, high-reward deal for a player who once looked like a future franchise cornerstone.
And by every report out of Sacramento, the bet was paying off. The buzz from Kings camp was overwhelmingly positive. Simmons was moving well, playing with an attacking style unseen since the early years of his career, and had emerged as a genuine contender for the starting lineup on opening night. In his two preseason appearances, he averaged 10.5 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists in just 17.4 minutes per game — and in his final outing, last Friday against the San Antonio Spurs, he posted 14 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and a steal in 25 minutes of action.
For a player whose career had been defined since 2021 by a chronic back issue that limited him physically and shook his confidence, the preseason form looked like proof that the year away had worked. He was expected to serve as a floor general and veteran leader for a young Sacramento backcourt.
A Career Marked by Stop-and-Start
Simmons' story has always been one of immense talent interrupted. After missing his entire rookie season with a right foot fracture, he won Rookie of the Year and became a three-time All-Star with the Philadelphia 76ers. But from 2021 onward, a persistent back injury — combined with a well-documented loss of confidence after his final playoff run in Philadelphia — steadily eroded his effectiveness.
While Simmons' comeback ends in heartbreak, other sporting comebacks across the globe have thrived this week — including Scott Boland's two-wicket burst for Australia and the opening of the Australia–New Zealand women's T20 series.
He last played meaningful NBA basketball in the 2024-25 season, appearing in 51 games between the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers and averaging 5 points, 5.6 assists and 4.7 rebounds. His decision to sit out 2025-26 entirely was a reset — the kind of move designed to end the stop-and-start cycle. Sunday's injury cruelly restarted it.
In an Instagram story after the diagnosis, Simmons wrote: "I've faced challenges before that tested me mentally, physically and emotionally, and I've found a way through every single one of them. This injury is another chapter in my journey, not the end of my story."
What It Means for the Kings
The blow lands at the worst possible time for Sacramento. The Kings open their season on Wednesday, October 21, on the road against the Los Angeles Clippers, and Simmons had been penciled into coach Doug Christie's rotation — with some reports suggesting he was in line to start on opening night.
The expected starting group around rookie guard Darius Acuff Jr. — alongside Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine and Keegan Murray — now has a hole at the guard spot. Veteran big man Precious Achiuwa, who started four of the five preseason games he appeared in while averaging 10.6 points and 5.8 rebounds, is the most likely candidate to absorb the extra rotation minutes.
The Kings signed Simmons for his playmaking and defensive versatility — qualities that are now removed from a roster that was counting on both. Sacramento's front office may now have to look at the free-agent market or trade options earlier than planned.
A Troubling Pattern Across the NBA
Simmons' injury is also part of a worrying preseason trend. His torn Achilles marks the third such injury of the not-yet-started NBA season: the Oklahoma City Thunder's Otega Oweh and the Philadelphia 76ers' Ariel Hukporti both suffered Achilles tears earlier in the preseason. Three season-ending Achilles injuries before opening night is an unusually high number, and it will likely renew league-wide discussion about practice loads, playing surfaces and injury prevention.
What's Next
Simmons will undergo surgery to repair the tendon, after which the long rehabilitation begins. The Kings said further updates will be provided as appropriate. Contractually, his one-year deal's guarantees are tied to making the opening-night roster — a detail that now adds a financial dimension to the story, though the team's immediate focus is his recovery.
For Simmons personally, the question is whether a 30-year-old with this much injury history is willing to travel the long road back once more. His own words suggest he is: "I've been knocked down before, and I've always found a way to get back up. This time will be no different."
Whether the NBA will see Ben Simmons on a court again in 2027 is now one of the league's open questions. What is certain is that the feel-good comeback story of the 2026 preseason has ended before the regular season even tipped off — and it's trending across the sports world for exactly that reason.
Sources: USA Today — Ben Simmons sustains Achilles injury during Sacramento Kings practice; New York Post — Ben Simmons' NBA comeback suffers brutal blow; NBC Sports — Kings' Ben Simmons suffers torn Achilles at practice; Hoops Rumors — Ben Simmons Suffers Torn Right Achilles; ESPN (Shams Charania) — initial injury report, October 18, 2026