'He wants to': Ben Simmons' Boomers desire for LA28

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Three-time NBA All-Star Ben Simmons remains a chance to finally wear the green and gold for the Australian Boomers at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, which would end a 15-year absence from the national team.

Simmons hasn't played for the Boomers since the FIBA Oceania Championships in 2013 as a 17-year-old and is yet to play at a major international tournament for the Boomers, missing the team's historic bronze medal performance at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

Despite currently taking a year off basketball following a serious back injury, which reduced him to just 118 games in his part four seasons in the NBA with the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers, the 29-year-old former Rookie of the Year is still a chance to join Australia's young core of Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels at the 2028 Games.

Speaking on the latest episode of Cut to the Jase, Boomers assistant coach and Simmons' godfather, David Patrick, said the two-time NBA All-Defensive First Team member wanted to don the Boomers jersey again.

"Believe it or not, he wants to wear it and I think the Olympics is kind of his goal," Patrick said.

"I think as he's got older and matured like all of us do, I think that's one thing he hasn't ticked off the box, playing for his country. He played in the youth level, but it's nothing like playing with the Boomers.

"So I think he's on track to trying to get healthy mentally and physically, and I think it's something that he will try to do moving forward.

"It'd be an exciting time to hopefully try to get him into LA, but there's some steps in place when you've been out for the year that he has been."

Simmons played his last NBA game almost a year ago for the Los Angeles Clippers on May, 30, last year. Since then, he has become the controlling owner of the South Florida Sails (SFS) in the Sport Fishing Championship.

Simmons’ SFS won the 2026 SFC Walker’s Cay Open over the weekend.

While comparisons were drawn to basketball icons such as Magic Johnson and LeBron James when he was drafted with the first overall pick in the 2016 draft, Simmons has copped his fair share of criticism in recent years due to playoff performances, his exit from the Philadelphia 76ers and his unavailability in the final four seasons of his NBA career.

Many fans and NBA commentators have labelled Simmons' career a disappointment despite his long lost of achievements and Patrick said he didn't believe those criticisms were fair.

"I was having to do an interview the other week about him, and people (say it was) a disappointment, and I'm like, I don't know, I don't know if it's a disappointment or not, three-time all-star sounds pretty good to me," Patrick said on the basketball.com.au podcast.

"For me, if he told me at 18-years-old, he was going to be number one pick in the draft, rookie of the year, three-time all-star, make over $200 million, I don't know if it's that disappointing.

"I think people think he could have been the next Magic or LeBron but he's got to want to do that, and I think in his mind he's had a great career, as you talked about, done some things that's never been done before by an Aussie.

"I think when we pull back his career, it's been pretty successful in a short amount of time."