Thereās been a lot of talk regarding Ben Simmonsā return to the court after recovering from the back injury that has affected him over the past few years. With the player set to be a starter in the 2024-25 NBA season, former Los Angeles Lakers Shaquille Oā Neil gave his thoughts about him.
āBen is sensitive, he came in with a lot of hype, but when he didnāt want to shoot in Atlanta, and he kept passing the ball, and everybodyās jumping on him, he got exposed,ā Shaq said in āBig Podcastā
Big Shaq also addressed Simmonsā back injury, giving away a tough statement: āNow the back thing, I let that go the first year. Iām not letting that go three years in a row. This is 2024: You got shot, you got pills, you got treatment. I donāt want to hear it.
āHeās afraid of what people are going to say about him: heās still in shock mode. (Simmons) didnāt play last year, and again what do you do? You say my back hurts. Everybody knows in this world that the āback injuryā is a thing that you canāt really check, but your back aināt been hurting for that long. Because while youāre not playing, youāre supposed to be doing rehabā Shaq later added.
Ben Simmons #10 of the Brooklyn Nets looks on from the bench in the first half against the Orlando Magic at Barclays Center on April 07, 2023 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
Ben Simmonsā back injury situation
Ben Simmons back injury is nothing new for Brooklyn Nets: In March 2024, the point guard underwent back surgery for the second time in three years, after only being able to appear in 15 matches during last season. The setup for this season is pretty similar to the 2023-24, with the back injury issue solved, and a Simmons ready to start.
NBA insider Chris Haynes posted on his X account: āBrooklyn Nets star Ben Simmons (recovered from a back procedure) will be a go to begin training camp on Oct. 1 with no restrictions, his agent Bernie Lee tells me: āBen is fully cleared and is a full participant for the start of camp. He is excited to get started.'ā
