NBA legend Gary Payton says Ben Simmons should SKIP the Olympics to get his flagging career back on track
Gary Payton is considered one of the best point guards to ever play in the NBA and now he has urged Australian star Ben Simmons to give up all hopes of an Olympic Games to revive his flagging NBA career blow.
Payton, who was nicknamed ‘The Glove’ for his defensive skills, is in Australia to host Gary Payton’s Block Party for NBA fans.
Selected second overall in the 1990 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics, the star guard had a storied 17-year career spanning five teams, most notably with the SuperSonics.
Payton was a nine-time NBA All-Star, won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 1996 and earned a championship ring with the Miami Heat in 2006.
During his career, he collected 21,813 points, 5,269 rebounds and 8,966 assists, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest point guards in NBA history and earning him a spot in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Simmons has struggled to stay on the field throughout his career due to a series of physical injuries and mental health issues
NBA Hall of Famer Gary Payton, who is in Sydney to meet fans at Gary Payton’s Block Party in Manly, believes Simmons should retire from playing in the Olympics
Simmons is injured again and will sit out the remainder of the NBA season, making it unlikely he will play in Paris anyway
On the other hand, Simmons’ NBA career has been significantly hampered by injuries since he was drafted first overall in 2016 and missed his entire rookie season due to a foot injury.
His health problems continued, with back and knee injuries leading to significant absences, including being sidelined for the entire 2021–22 season and parts of other seasons.
Despite a brief return to form, recurring back problems continued to haunt Simmons, limiting his playing time and causing him to be ruled out for the season several times, most recently in the 2023–24 season after playing just 15 games.
Australian Boomers head coach Brian Goorjian recently revealed that Simmons was preparing to play in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris before his latest injury setback.
Payton won an NBA championship with Miami and was nicknamed “The Glove” for his defensive skills
Now Payton has said that Simmons should abandon any hope of playing for the Boomers in France, even if he can make a miraculous comeback from the injury.
“What Ben needs to do is make sure he gets to full health,” he said.
“He shouldn’t come back until he’s fully healthy because there’s no doubt because of his athletic ability and his talent that he can play in the NBA.
“I think he needs to work on the things he needs to work on.”
“I think he should skip the Olympics,” he said.
‘I understand, everyone is putting pressure on him to play for his country.
“But you have to understand that Ben hasn’t been able to play a full season in the NBL for almost his entire career.
“I think he needs to focus on what his job is, and his job is in the NBA on the team he plays for now.
“He still has a lot of basketball left in him. There will be a few more Olympic Games. He can do that another time.’
Veteran Patty Mills is likely to be Australia’s point guard again at the Paris Olympics
OKC Thunder star Josh Giddey will also share point guard duties, giving the Boomers plenty of NBA experience in Paris
Payton believes that Simmons must shut out all outside influences in order to focus on his recovery and eventual return for the Nets.
“My main job for him is to stop paying attention to social media and all its critics,” he said.
“Forget the critics, just play basketball and do what he has to do and he’ll be fine.
“Once he gets back, show that he can play in this league and show that he’s the basketball player that was picked No. 1 (in the NBA draft) and I think he’ll be just fine.”