{"id":244237,"date":"2026-05-20T01:09:34","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T01:09:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/20\/more-accolades-than-luka-won-a-title-before-joel-embiid-fans-go-wild-as-ben-simmons-wins-major-fishing-title-after-mysterious-nba-hiatus\/"},"modified":"2026-05-20T01:09:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T01:09:34","slug":"more-accolades-than-luka-won-a-title-before-joel-embiid-fans-go-wild-as-ben-simmons-wins-major-fishing-title-after-mysterious-nba-hiatus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/20\/more-accolades-than-luka-won-a-title-before-joel-embiid-fans-go-wild-as-ben-simmons-wins-major-fishing-title-after-mysterious-nba-hiatus\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;More accolades than Luka&#8221;, &#8220;Won a title before Joel Embiid&#8221; &#8211; Fans Go Wild As Ben Simmons Wins Major Fishing Title After Mysterious NBA Hiatus"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-content\" data-postid=\"5169327\" data-slug-id=\"2784206\">\n<div class=\"vidazoo-player-container\">\n<span class=\"vidazoo-close-btn  hidden \"><br \/>\n<img data-lazy=\"\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/cmc-predictor\/v2\/cross-icon.png?w=40\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" alt=\"close\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/basketball\/nba\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">NBA<\/a> star <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/basketball\/ben-simmons\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Ben Simmons<\/a> has been out of the league since the 2024-25 season. No team has reached out to sign him, and Simmons has stayed clear of basketball since then. The former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/basketball\/philadelphia-76ers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Philadelphia 76ers<\/a> icon has made a career change and is now thriving in competitive fishing.<\/p>\n<p>On Tuesday, ESPN reported that Simmons has reached an amazing feat in sportfishing. The former NBA star helped capture the Sport Fishing Championship Blue Marlin Open at Walker&#8217;s Cay in the Bahamas. The Australian guard has been the controlling operator of the franchise since December 2025, and he also serves as the co-owner and angler for the team.<\/p>\n<p><template id=\"template__newsletter-inline-banner-form-combo-widget\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"wrapper\">\n<p><img id=\"subscribe-img\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\nThanks for the submission!\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<p>Growing up in Australia, Simmons developed a passion for fishing. During his offseasons in the league, he spends most of his time on a boat.<\/p>\n<p><template id=\"also-read-articles-template\"><\/p>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<p><template id=\"bets-today-poll\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"preview-card-holder bets-today-poll\">\n<p><span class=\"date\"\/> \u2022 <span class=\"time\"\/><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;I have always believed that investing in what you love means you have a responsibility to help move it forward,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Sportfishing has given me incredible experiences, and SFC is creating a platform that treats offshore fishing like the elite sport it is.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>NBA fans were caught off guard by the news about Simmons. <\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;more accolades than Luka, I\u2019m in tears,&#8221; a fan said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"sportskeeda-embed\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/basketball\/twitter-embed\">\n<div class=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/basketball\/twitter-embed\">\n<div class=\"profile-card\">\n<p><span><span>more accolades than Luka, I\u2019m in tears<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Ben Simmons won a title before Embiid got to the conference finals,&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SlatttRyan\/status\/2056788194834653304\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">another fan commented<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Sixers win a generational draft lottery and the dude is a professional fisherman before 30 years old. Most Sixers thing ever \ud83d\ude2d&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AidanLaPorta69\/status\/2056785929591767332\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">one fan said<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>More fans weren&#8217;t aware that the three-time All-Star made a career shift into sportfishing.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;alr time to pull an mj and come back to basketball,&#8221; someone commented.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"sportskeeda-embed\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/basketball\/twitter-embed\">\n<div class=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/basketball\/twitter-embed\">\n<div class=\"profile-card\">\n<p><span><span>@TheDunkCentral @TheSFC_official alr time to pull an mj and come back to basketball<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;He wins another and we\u2019re gonna have to have some uncomfortable conversations,&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Vengeancewood\/status\/2056838174660251737\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">a comment read<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;that bum went from being a former #1 pick&#8230;&#8230;..to becoming a f**ken fisherman,&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/chronoxiong\/status\/2056815482137973190\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">one fan commented<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2>Colin Cowherd Explains His Viral Ben Simmons-LeBron James Take <\/h2>\n<p>Longtime analyst Colin Cowherd has had several takes about the NBA in the past. In 2018, the media personality was hyped up from Ben Simmons&#8217; strong rookie campaign. Cowherd was excited for the former 76ers star that he told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/basketball\/lebron-james\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">LeBron James<\/a> that he could retire since he believed Simmons could take over the league.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cHey, LeBron, Ben Simmons is here. We\u2019re all good,\u201d Cowherd said (Timestamp at 3:15). \u201cFor the first time in 10-12 years, I look at the NBA, which I\u2019ve watched for four decades, and I say this now with Ben Simmons, \u2018Hey LeBron, we are good, bro. You can go. You don\u2019t have to. You can hang around. Still great, but you can go. We\u2019re all good here.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"sportskeeda-embed\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/basketball\/youtube\">\n<div class=\"yt-wrapper\">                    <noscript><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Colin Cowherd reveals why he&#039;d rather watch Ben Simmons than LeBron James | THE HERD\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/MA9viSzX0m4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/noscript>                    <\/p>\n<div class=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/basketball\/youtube\" data-embed=\"MA9viSzX0m4\">\n<div class=\"play-button\"><img height=\"370\" width=\"660\" data-img=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/05\/a0934-17792274377348-1920.jpg\" data-img-low=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/05\/a0934-17792274377348-1920.jpg\" class=\"lazy-img\" alt=\"youtube-cover\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>On Sunday, he appeared on an episode of &#8220;Club 520 Podcast,&#8221; where he revealed why he said his take.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cI got a little hot that day,\u201d Cowherd said. \u201cI overheated on the air.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Despite his offensive limitations, Cowherd claimed that Ben Simmons&#8217; 6-foot-9 height gave him a significant edge and that no one could stop him. However, he was exposed by the Atlanta Hawks in 2021, which derailed his career.<\/p>\n<p>Cowherd thought that Simmons was going to be the new face of the NBA. Unfortunately for the former star, his career got cut short after seven seasons.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-post-rating-widget\">\n<p><template id=\"post-rating-feedback-modal-template\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-feedback-box\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-content\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-data\">\n<p>Why did you not like this content?<\/p>\n<p><textarea id=\"dislike-feedback-text\" rows=\"4\" placeholder=\"Please type your feedback...\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<button class=\"close\">Cancel<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"submit\">Submit<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-widget-parent hidden\">\n<div class=\"rating-parent-container\">\n<div class=\"rating-content-holder\">\n<p>Was this article helpful?<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-action-container\">\n<div class=\"like-container\">\n<button class=\"post-rating-like-button post-rating-button\" data-action=\"like\" title=\"like article\"><br \/>\n<img class=\"post-like-image post-rating-image\" data-lazy=\"\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"like selected\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dislike-container\">\n<button class=\"post-rating-dislike-button post-rating-button\" data-action=\"dislike\" title=\"dislike article\"><br \/>\n<img class=\"post-dis-like-image post-rating-image\" data-lazy=\"\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"avatar selected\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\nThank You for feedback\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tag-cloud\">\n<div class=\"tags-text\">\n<div class=\"scrollable-content-holder  article-padding\">\n<p class=\"article-p  \">Quick Links<\/p>\n<p><button id=\"pnAdvancerLeft\" class=\"pn-Advancer pn-Advancer_Left \" type=\"button\"><br \/>\n<img style=\"background: none;\" data-lazy=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/article\/article-scroll-left.svg\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button><\/p>\n<nav id=\"pnProductNav\" class=\"pn-ProductNav\">\n<\/nav>\n<p><button id=\"pnAdvancerRight\" class=\"pn-Advancer pn-Advancer_Right \" type=\"button\"><br \/>\n<img style=\"background: none;\" data-lazy=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/article\/article-scroll-right.svg\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<p>More from Sportskeeda<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<span class=\"publisher-name\">Edited by Reign Amurao<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/basketball\/news-more-accolades-luka-won-title-joel-embiid-fans-go-wild-as-ben-simmons-wins-major-fishing-title-after-mysterious-nba-hiatus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former NBA star Ben Simmons has been out of the league since the 2024-25 season. No team has reached out to sign him, and Simmons has stayed clear of basketball since then. The former Philadelphia 76ers icon has made a career change and is now thriving in competitive fishing. On Tuesday, ESPN reported that Simmons [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":244239,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6806],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-244237","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-gossip"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244237","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=244237"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244237\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/244239"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=244237"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=244237"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=244237"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}