Born Benjamin David Simmons on the 20th July 1996 in Melbourne, Victoria Australi, Ben is a professional basketball player, who currently plays for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), being selected as the first overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, the beginning of his professional career.
Have you ever wondered how rich Ben Simmons is, as of early 2018? According to authoritative sources, Simmons’ net worth is already as high as $75 million, earned through his contract with the 76ers, and through a sponsorship deal with the popular sports brand Nike.
Ben Simmons Net Worth $75 Million
Ben is one of two children born to American Dave Simmons, and his Australian wife Julie; Julie has two sons and two daughters from her previous relationship, who are Ben’s step-siblings, while he also has an older sister named Olivia. His father was a basketball player, who after his stint at the Oklahoma City University, went on to play for the Melbourne Tigers, and remained in Australia, becoming a naturalised citizen.
Ben spent his early years in Newcastle, New South Wales, and then when turning 10, he moved back to Melbourne with his family and soon after started playing basketball for the Knox Raiders. He also played Australian Rules football, and was rather successful winning several honors and awards. Ben continued playing both sports, but at 14 years of age, he had to decide which sport to pursue further, and so chose basketball; as the things stand now, he didn’t make a mistake. The next year, Ben was a part of the Box Hill Senior Secondary College team, and participated in the 2011 Australian Schools Championship, and later accepted a scholarship to the Australian Institute of Sport in 2012, playing for Australia at the FIBA Under- 17 World Championship that year, despite being only 15 years old, but greatly helping his team win the silver medal.
The following year, Ben made his move to the USA, attending Montverde Academy, and leading the school team to three consecutive High School National Tournament titles, and along the way winning several prestigious awards, including MVP honors.
After high school he played for the Louisiana State University basketball team, the LSU Tigers, but for only one season, during which he became one of the most prominent, winning several awards, such as SEC Freshman of the Year, Naismith Prep Player of the Year, and was also named into the First-team All-SEC.
After the end of the regular season, and LSU’s unsuccessful bid to earn a spot in the NCAA tournament, Ben declared for the 2016 NBA Draft, and was chosen by the 76ers as the first overall pick. However, he suffered a foot injury just before the season, and at first it was expected that he would miss the first three to four months of the season, but the 76ers officials ruled him out for the entire season.
In the 2017-2018 season Ben made his debut in a season-opening loss to the Washington Wizards 120-115, but he was one of the better players with 18 points and 10 rebounds. So far he has played in 39 games and has averaged 16.9 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.3 assists for the 76ers, already including several triple-doubles. In addition to his rookie contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, worth $35 million over four years, he has also signed a sponsorship deal with Nike, which has also considerably benefited his net worth.
When it comes to his personal life, Ben has been in a relationship with singer Dylan Gonzalez since 2017.
Two days after the 2016 NBA Draft, Ben experienced a tragic loss, as his cousin was killed in the early hours of the 25th June.
