Ben Simmons vows to get back up after torn Achilles ends his Kings comeback
WhyNBA Sports Desk · Oct 18, 2026
The story
Ben Simmons answered the torn Achilles that wiped out his comeback season with a promise to come back again, telling fans in an Instagram statement on Sunday night that the injury is "another chapter in my journey, not the end of my story."
The story
The message landed only hours after the Sacramento Kings confirmed that the 30-year-old guard tore his right Achilles in practice and will need surgery, an injury expected to keep him out for all of 2026-27.
The story
For a player who had spent more than a year rebuilding his body and his confidence to get one more NBA chance, the timing could hardly have been worse, and his first public words were about how he intends to handle it rather than about what he lost.
The story
Simmons wrote that he has faced tests before, mental and physical as well as emotional, and has worked his way through each of them. He admitted that being pulled away from the game again hurts more because of how much effort the road back required.
The story
Then he made the point the whole statement was built around: "adversity doesn't define you. How you respond to it does." He closed by saying he has been knocked down before, always got back up, and expects this time to be no different.
The story
Marc J. Spears shared the statement on X:
A comeback that was just taking shape
The injury came days before what would have been Simmons' first regular-season game since April 2025. He did not play anywhere in 2025-26 while he worked through back and leg problems, then signed a one-year, $3.5 million contract with Sacramento in September.
A comeback that was just taking shape
The two exhibition games on his player page showed why the Kings were willing to build a spot in the lineup for him. He played under nine minutes in his first outing at Golden State on October 10, scoring seven points.
A comeback that was just taking shape
Six nights later at San Antonio he looked much closer to his old self: 14 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in almost 26 minutes, on 5-of-9 shooting with a perfect 4-of-4 night at the free-throw line.
A comeback that was just taking shape
Across both games he averaged 10.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists, and he was in line to start on opening night.
A comeback that was just taking shape
The setback also arrived on the same day a documentary about his career debuted, a project centered on the long climb back that the injury has now interrupted.
A comeback that was just taking shape
His one-year deal means Simmons will head into next summer as a free agent coming off surgery, so his next chance to prove the statement right may have to come somewhere other than Sacramento.
A comeback that was just taking shape
The injury could also cost him a place with Australia at next year's FIBA World Cup in Qatar.
What comes next
Simmons will have surgery and begin a recovery that is expected to cover the whole season. The Kings, who now lean harder on Darius Acuff Jr. at the point, open the regular season at the LA Clippers on Wednesday, October 21, at 10:30 pm ET.
What comes next
Follow it in the Game Center, and track every update on the injuries page.
Photo credit
Ben Simmons. Photo: All-Pro Reels / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).
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