Ben Simmons wants to play for Australia at Paris Olympics

FILE – Ben Simmons #10 of the Brooklyn Nets looks on during the first quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center on January 25, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images/AFP

SYDNEY– NBA All-Star forward Ben Simmons says he wants to play for Australia at the Paris Olympics next year, ending a decade-long absence from the Boomers team.

The 27-year-old has been plagued by injuries in recent years but said he was confident he would be back on court for the Brooklyn Nets in the next NBA season and fit for the Olympics.

“Olympics? Yeah, 100%,” he said in an interview with the Andscape website.

“To me, I’m going to play when I’m ready. There hasn’t really been a time where I’ve been prepared and ready physically.

“But next year, my goal is to be on the Olympic team.”

Melbourne-born Simmons said he had not yet informed Basketball Australia of his intentions and fans Down Under might be forgiven for not getting too excited.

The three-times NBA All-Star has frequently committed to playing for the land of his birth at the Olympics and World Cups over the last nine years only to later withdraw.

Australia, bronze medallists at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, will qualify for the Paris Olympics if they achieve a better finish than New Zealand at the ongoing World Cup in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.