Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons is the latest NBA player to withdraw from the international stage this summer.
Simmons, who was slated to play for the Australian Boomers in a series of August exhibition contests against Canada and the United States, has pulled out of the games, according to a statement released by the team on Saturday. The 23-year-old will not participate in the subsequent FIBA World Cup either.
Inbox: Ben Simmons has withdrawn from the Australian Boomers’ exhibitions games, prior to the FIBA World Cup. pic.twitter.com/f6SzIrWj1N
— Olgun Uluc (@OlgunUluc) July 27, 2019
The exhibitions are scheduled for late August and will be played in Australia.
Numerous NBA stars, including Anthony Davis, James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillard, and many more withdrew from Team USA recently. While Simmons’ apparent rationale for withdrawing is understandable, Australia’s talent pool is much thinner, making the news infinitely more disappointing for them, especially since he was supposed to star in front of his home fans.
