Ben Simmons’ next chapter isn’t beginning in an NBA practice facility. It’s beginning on the water.
In a feature by Marc J. Spears for Andscape, the three-time All-Star is described as having his NBA return “on hold” while he pursues a serious foothold in professional sport fishing as the new controlling operator (majority owner) of the South Florida Sails, a club in the Sport Fishing Championship (SFC).
Simmons doesn’t talk about the move like a quirky hobby or a celebrity cameo. He talks about it like a league he believes can scale, comparing SFC’s structure and ambition to major sports properties.
“The way I see it, it’s like the new F1 [Formula 1] for fishing. The new LIV Golf for fishing,” Simmons told Spears, outlining the SFC’s team format, points system, and variety of marlin species that factor into competition.
He also explained why the sport hooks people once they’re close enough to understand the details:
“It’s a very niche sport. And if you don’t know, you don’t know. But once you experience it and get out there and see what it’s about, you’re kind of in awe of what the sport is.”
The SFC itself is a relatively new property, founded in 2021, with 16 clubs spread across multiple U.S. states and a season built around a set of tournaments that culminate in a champion.
Spears notes Simmons joins a growing list of celebrity owners connected to the league, which has positioned itself as a modern, made-for-content version of offshore competition without hiding the reality of the sport’s scale and expense.
But the key detail that gets lost in the viral framing is that Simmons is not presenting this as a retirement letter. Spears reports Simmons is still training for basketball with an eye on returning once his body is right. Simmons told Andscape he’s doing two-a-day basketball, strength, and rehab workouts six days per week and believes he could be ready to sign with an NBA team around All-Star break if his progress holds.
The tone is cautious, and the reasoning is familiar for a player whose last few seasons have been shaped by injuries and stop-start availability: he doesn’t want a comeback that’s just symbolic.
“I don’t believe it’s just [about] getting on a team,” Simmons said. “… I don’t think there’s any point in just wasting a spot just to be out there. I think that’s a little selfish.”
In another telling line, when asked how it feels not to be on an NBA roster, Simmons pushed back with a grin:
“No. I’m on a team now. It’s South Florida Sails.”
That’s the real conclusion here. The headline “Simmons is putting the NBA on hold” reads like a clean break, but Spears’ reporting paints something more specific: a free agent with a complicated recent basketball history choosing to delay his next NBA move until he can contribute at a level he respects, while investing real energy (and money) into a sport he genuinely loves.
