Ben Simmons hasn’t played an NBA game since April 2025, having struggled with injuries and failing to adjust his shooting form.
The former No. 1 pick had started his career in professional fishing, and one action from that journey has opened a can of conspiracy theories about his NBA struggles.
The Ben Simmons Fishing Theory
NBA writer Kevin O’Connor pointed out that ‘Simmons casts right and retrieves left, a technique that allows right-handed anglers to keep their dominant hand on the rod for maximum control.’
‘The evidence is overwhelming that he shot the basketball with the wrong hand.’ Simmons has always shot the ball with his left hand in the NBA, but it’s clear that he is predominantly right-handed.
Simmons is reportedly ambidextrous, which would usually be admired as an advantage on a basketball court. However, his inability to work out which hand is his strongest has cost him a place in the NBA.
Former teammate and now Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick went on record in 2022, saying he believes Simmons is truly right-handed and should start shooting with that hand.
There is no question that in his prime, Simmons was electrifying offensively, making passes that Magic Johnson would be proud of and getting to the rim with incredible ease.
Simmons has had recurring problems with his knee and back for the past four years, and those injuries have taken a toll on his ability to get up and down the floor at an All-Star level.
An efficient jump shot could have eased those injury woes, but his shooting stats don’t make for pretty reading, having made only five three-point shots in 36 career attempts to date.
The NBA is now a three-point shooting league, and with Simmons biding his time before a return, he has taken up a new venture in the Sports Fishing Championship.
Simmons is now the owner of the South Florida Sails, joining SFC celebrity owners Scottie Scheffler, Randy Moss, and NASCAR’s Austin Dillon.
The nine-year NBA veteran revealed, ‘I think I’d fit right into the NBA just given what I can do. But I want to give everything I can to the game. I don’t think there’s any point in just wasting a spot just to be out there.’
In his most recent stint with the Los Angeles Clippers, Simmons averaged 2.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in limited minutes while dealing with a back issue in the 18 games he played.
With fishing casting his attention away from the NBA, can Ben Simmons sort out his injury problems and shooting form to become the player he once was?
