Ben Simmons has expressed openness to playing for the Australian national team in the future. The player has verbally stated his intention to play for Australia on multiple occasions, including the FIBA World Cup and the Olympics, but he has always withdrawn from the team before competition.
Despite his expressed desire to play for Australia, Simmons has not been included in the country’s extended squad for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. The squad features ten current NBA players, including Patty Mills, Matisse Thybulle, Joe Ingles, Jock Landale, Josh Green, Matthew Dellavedova, Xavier Cooks, Jack White, Dyson Daniels, and Josh Giddey. The other players on the squad are Dante Exum, Sam Froling, Chris Goulding, Nick Kay, Thon Maker, Will McDowell-White, Keanu Pinder, and Dup Reath.
Simmons made his senior debut for Australia in the 2013 FIBA Oceania Championship, where he was part of the gold medal-winning Australian team. The Australian national team is in Group E alongside Germany, Finland, and Japan for the FIBA World Cup, which will start in late August.
The player has had a challenging 2022-2023 NBA season, which ended prematurely due to ongoing knee soreness and inflammation in his back.
Simmons has averaged 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 6.1 assists in 31.8 minutes per game for the Nets during the 2022-2023 NBA season.
