Ben Simmons’ NBA comeback derailed after tearing achilles tendon in practice

Read the original at The Guardian ↗
Cite

Australian Associated Press. (2026, October 19). Ben Simmons’ NBA comeback derailed after tearing achilles tendon in practice. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/oct/19/ben-simmons-nba-comeback-derailed-after-tearing-achilles-tendon-in-practice

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

The Guardian · collected 2026-10-19 · by Australian Associated Press

Quick Summary

Ben Simmons suffered a torn right achilles tendon during practice just three days before the Sacramento Kings' season opener, dashing hopes of a comeback after signing a one-year deal with the team. The injury will likely sideline him for the entire 2024-25 NBA season, adding to his previous struggles with mental health and physical injuries over the past five years. Despite setbacks, Simmons remains optimistic about overcoming this latest challenge, as echoed by NBA legends like Dwight Howard who predict a successful return for the talented player.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-19, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

Ben Simmons’ NBA comeback has been derailed after he reportedly tore his right Achilles tendon during practice with the Sacramento Kings on October 18, 2026, just days before their season opener against the Los Angeles Clippers. The injury is expected to rule him out for the entire season, ending what was predicted to be a remarkable comeback story. Simmons signed a one-year $3.5 million deal with the Kings in an attempt to revive his career but will now undergo surgery and miss the upcoming season. At 30 years old, this setback adds to his five-year battle with significant injuries and mental health concerns, including a right foot fracture in 2016-2017 and various knee and leg injuries from 2021-2025. Prior to the injury, Simmons had shown promise in preseason games, scoring 14 points, grabbing eight rebounds, and recording seven assists in a game against the San Antonio Spurs on October 14, 2026.

Written for “Ben Simmons' NBA Comeback Derailed” on 2026-10-19, grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Ben Simmons' NBA Comeback Derailed
Sports · 3 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 5% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
The Sydney Morning Herald · 0.94 cosine similarity
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 20% hedged 12 of 60 📰 publisher trust 61
“Both articles describe Ben Simmons tearing his Achilles tendon during practice with the Sacramento Kings just before their season opener, likely ruling him out for the entire season.”
New York Post · 0.92 cosine similarity
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 9% hedged 1 of 11 📰 publisher trust 67
“Both articles describe Ben Simmons suffering a torn right Achilles tendon during practice with the Sacramento Kings on October 18, 2026.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
21
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
5%
1 of 21 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
68/100
The Guardian's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
3
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-19 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Guardian · 1414 article(s) · 4 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 4 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Australian Associated Press
33 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 The Australian will undergo surgery after scans revealed he tore his right achilles tendon during a live drill at practice, just three days out from Sacramento’s season opener against the Los Angeles Clippers.
🔮 For Geoff Rose, the closure is a sign of the times – the land in the inner-west suburb of Glebe is worth a fortune in a city where growth will not slow down.
🔮 It will be alleged the accused and the victim were in a personal relationship.
🔮 A new bill on the tobacco trade is expected to be debated in the Senate on Thursday.
🔮 She will be aged 39 when eligible for parole and 41 once her full sentence ends.
🔮 They did not apply for bail and were remanded in custody until 3 May 2027.
🔮 On occasion, a student would have to share a bed with teachers in a caravan park or school-owned cabins to save space, she said.
🔮 “Though it would change so devastatingly a year later in Bali, it was not yet directly our fight.
🔮 It is the third leg in his world tour, where he will run a marathon on each continent, including Antarctica.
🔮 He pointed to a picture of a White Fox-endorsed influencer wearing the company’s four-stripe shorts with genuine Adidas shoes as a promotion that would confuse consumers.
Wire or desk byline, not an individual reporter.
Also by Australian Associated Press
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 33 articles by Australian Associated Press →

Topics

Kings NBA Sacramento the Los Angeles Clippers the Sacramento Kings

Subjects

NBA ORG · 5× Simmons PERSON · 5× Sacramento GPE · 3× Ben Simmons PERSON · 2× Kings ORG · 2× the Los Angeles Clippers ORG · 2× Australian NORP · 1× Instagram ORG · 1× San Antonio GPE · 1× the Sacramento Kings ORG · 1×

Narrative

The Australian will undergo surgery after scans revealed he tore his right achilles tendon during a live drill at practice, just three days out from Sacramento’s season opener against the Los Angeles Clippers.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-19
🔮 The Australian will undergo surgery after scans revealed he tore his right achilles tendon during a live drill at practice, just three days out from Sacramento’s season opener against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Claims (21 extracted, 1 hedged)

Ben Simmons faces a monumental task to revive his NBA career after another devastating injury setback put his comeback attempt with the Sacramento Kings on hold. asserted
setback → face → hold
The Australian will undergo surgery after scans revealed he tore his right achilles tendon during a live drill at practice, just three days out from Sacramento’s season opener against the Los Angeles Clippers. asserted
he → undergo → Clippers
The 30-year-old signed a one-year deal with the Kings in an attempt to revive his career, but will now miss the entire season. asserted
old → sign → season
It is another massive setback for the three-time All-Star, after five years battling a series of significant injuries and mental health concerns. asserted
It → battle → injuries
“I’ve faced challenges before that tested me mentally, physically, and emotionally, and I’ve found a way through every single one of them,” Simmons posted in an Instagram story. asserted
Simmons → face → story
“It’s never easy being away from the game I love, especially after everything it took to get back here. asserted
it → ’ → everything
But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that adversity doesn’t define you. asserted
adversity → ’ → you
How you respond to it does. asserted
respond → respond → it
I’ve been knocked down before, and I’ve always found a way to get back up. asserted
I → knock → way
Simmons had shown promising flashes in pre-season, including a productive 26 minutes in Sacramento’s loss to San Antonio. asserted
Simmons → show → Antonio
The build-up had led to high praise from a host of NBA greats, including eight-time All-Star Dwight Howard, who predicted a successful return for the Melbourne-born talent. asserted
who → lead → talent
“Ben Simmons going to have the greatest comeback story in NBA history!” Howard posted on X last week. asserted
Howard → go → X
NBA legends Dirk Nowitzki and Blake Griffin also recently backed three-time All-Star Simmons to reproduce some of his best basketball this season. asserted
Simmons → back → basketball
“He is incredibly talented, he’s a big body and he can defend so many positions,” Griffin said at the NBA on Prime launch in New York. asserted
Griffin → talente → York
“Downhill he gets to the rim and he’s a great passer. asserted
he → get → rim
I want to see a great year from him because he’s a special talent and I think the league is better off with a guy like him in it. asserted
league → want → it
The latest injury setback continues a rough few years for the former No 1 draft pick, who was named Rookie of the Year and a three-time All-Star before his career went off the rails. asserted
career → continue → rails
Simmons shot to prominence with the Philadelphia 76ers but sat out the 2021-22 season while dealing with mental health concerns and physical injuries. asserted
Simmons → shoot → concerns
He sought a trade and landed in Brooklyn, where he spent two-and-a-half injury-riddled seasons, and finished the 2024-25 season with the Los Angeles Clippers. asserted
he → seek → Clippers
Simmons was cut at the end of that campaign and sat out all of last season, leading critics to question whether he had lost his love for basketball. asserted
he → cut → basketball
He rubbished those claims after inking his return with Sacramento and was set to play a key role for the rebuilding Kings alongside rookie Darius Acuff and fellow veteran Zach LaVine. uncertain
He → rubbish → Acuff
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