The Nets have ruled Ben Simmons out for the remainder of the 2023-24 season with a lower back injury.
On Thursday, March 7, Brooklyn released a medical update on Simmons, who has been in and out of the lineup all season.
"Ben Simmons will remain out for the remainder of the season while he consults with specialists and explores treatment options for the nerve impingement in his lower back," the Nets' release stated.
"Simmons, along with his representatives and Nets medical personnel, are currently in discussions with numerous experts to determine the course of action that will provide him with the best opportunity for long-term sustainable health."
Simmons has been a staple on the injury report over the last three years. He was limited to just 15 games this season, averaging career-lows of 6.1 points, 5.7 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.6 blocks per game.
The 27-year-old has only appeared in 57 of a possible 226 regular season games since his last All-Star season in 2020-21. He missed the entire 2021-22 season with a back injury. That trickled into the 2022-23 season where he played 42 games.
Now, Simmons will be shut down for the third consecutive season for the same reason.
MORE: The biggest question facing each of NBA's title contenders
Ben Simmons injury timeline
2016-17: Foot injury
Before Simmons even played his first game in the NBA, he was cursed by the injury bug.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft never stepped foot on the floor during his rookie season. Simmons fractured the fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot during a preseason scrimmage and was shut down for the year.
The 76ers took the Joel Embiid approach and it paid off, as Simmons returned to win Rookie of the Year in 2017-18 after returning to full strength.
2019-20: Back and knee injury
The most healthy stretch of Simmons' career came between 2017-18 and 2018-19, only missing four regular season games over two years. His body was running smoothly for the majority of the 2019-20 season, too.
Simmons played in 53 of Philadelphia's first 55 games before his first back injury popped up. The star forward was diagnosed with a "back impingement" just before the season shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Simmons missed the 76ers' final eight games before the season was paused. He returned to the court once play resumed in the Disney bubble, only to suffer a knee injury three games into the season restart.
Simmons underwent surgery on his left knee and did not return to play in the bubble.
2020-21: Knee injury
Simmons returned to form in 2020-21 despite battling back and knee injuries the season prior. He appeared in 58 of 72 games and was named an All-Star for the third time in his career.
The majority of his games missed were due to knee soreness, but Simmons finished the season and was healthy for the playoffs.
2021-22: Back injury
Simmons missed the entire 2021-22 season for a variety of reasons.
Simmons held out at the start of the year as he hoped to be traded from the 76ers. During that time, he worked with team doctors to treat a back ailment.
Even after the 76ers traded Simmons to the Nets at the 2022 deadline, he never appeared in a game for Brooklyn in 2021-22. Simmons eventually underwent back surgery in May 2022.
2022-23: Knee and back injury
Simmons was ready to make his Nets debut at the start of the 2022-23 season but it didn't take long for injuries to pile up.
Simmons dealt with knee soreness during the early portion of the season. He suffered a setback with his back injury as he attempted to recover from his knee injury and was eventually shut down for the season with a nerve impingement in his back.
2023-24: Back injury
It was the same story for Simmons in 2023-24 — he never fully got his season off the ground.
Simmons played in six of the Nets' first seven games of the season before missing the next 38 games due to his reoccurring back injury. Simmons returned for a brief stint in January and February but couldn't stay on the court consistently.
On March 7, Simmons was shut down for the season due to a nerve impingement in his lower back. He only appeared in 15 games.
Before the news of Simmons being shut down for the season, Simmons' agent took some blame for his ongoing injury issues.
“We continue to try and find non-surgical options to allow Ben to move forward on a permanent basis and that is where this is my responsibility and I am (the) one to blame,” Bernie Lee told SNY's Ian Begley.
“When I began working with Ben I made a commitment to him that I would do everything I could to find the right answers and specialists for him to work with (in order) to move forward from the issues he has been having. Clearly it hasn’t happened, and that's my responsibility."
