Photo: Brooklyn Nets/YouTube

In a recent episode of The Old Man and The Three podcast, Ben Simmons opened up about his struggles with back injuries and the challenges he faced while rehabbing from surgery.

The Brooklyn Nets guard/forward shared how the physical and mental toll of his recovery journey left him questioning his future in basketball.

“There were times, last summer, when I was like, ‘I don’t know if I can do this. I might have to stop playing,'” Simmons revealed, reflecting on the moments of doubt that crept in during his recovery process.

Simmons explained how grueling it was to go through back-to-back summers focused entirely on rehabbing.

“I had to bring that up in conversation and think about it, just because physically it’s tough, but mentally it’s just so hard to return from an injury like that and go through the process of rehabbing a second summer in a row,” he said. “But like I said, it’s day-by-day. You just take it day by day.”

Despite those dark moments, Simmons credited his mindset for helping him push through. He admitted that giving up wasn’t an option for him.

The turning point came after his second back surgery, which the player said felt like a rebirth for his body.

“It made me feel like I had a ‘new body,'” he shared, describing how the procedure gave him the hope and energy to rebuild himself and return to the game.

“I can’t just stop. Like, I’m not just gonna stop,” Simmons said firmly, highlighting his competitive nature and love for basketball.

“I wanna compete, I’m a competitor, I like to play basketball, I like to win. And that was my time to win. I had so many losses in the last two and a half years. I was like, ‘No, I need this one.'”

Simmons has played 7 seasons for the 76ers and Nets. He has averaged 13.7 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.4 assists in 362 regular-season games. He was selected to play in 3 All-Star games and has won the Rookie of the Year award.