Should Ben Simmons consider retirement after another lost season?

In what is shaping up to be another mediocre season, the Brooklyn Nets are now dealing with even more bad news. On Thursday, the team announced point guard Ben Simmons is out for the rest of the season.

Simmons, who has missed much of his two seasons with the Nets with a back injury, will consult with specialists because of a lower-back nerve impingement.

According to the Nets (25-37), Simmons and his representation will work with the team to "determine the course of action that will provide him with the best opportunity for long-term sustainable health." The phrasing around Simmons' long-term health raises the question: Will the 27-year-old point guard medically retire?

Simmons has dealt with back problems for years — he was first diagnosed with nerve impingement in February 2020, causing him to miss the remainder of the season. In March 2022, after being traded to Brooklyn (following a long holdout with the 76ers), he was diagnosed with a herniated disk and eventually had back surgery in May.

Although the Australian guard began his career with Philadelphia as a strong starter, starting 81 games in 2017-18 and 79 in 2018-19, his minutes have steadily declined since. In his two seasons with the Nets, Simmons has only played 57 games — 42 last season and just 15 this season.

Medical retirement is unfortunately common among athletes, especially football players, but there's precedent in the NBA as well. LaMarcus Aldridge — also on the Nets — retired in 2021 due to an irregular heartbeat, while Miami Heat center Chris Bosh retired in 2019 after issues with blood clotting. Most famously, Lakers legend Magic Johnson retired from the NBA after announcing that he had tested positive for HIV.

All three of those players were in their 30s when they decided to step back from basketball. Simmons is only 27.

But even if Simmons' team decides that the best choice is to end his career early — or even just to take a step back for a while — that may not be the last we see of him. 

More often than not, players who medically retire end up making a small comeback. Aldridge re-signed with the Nets after getting medically cleared just six months after announcing retirement and Johnson went on to join the USA Dream Team at the 1992 Olympics. After initially failing a physical in 2016, Bosh attempted to launch a comeback before his eventual 2019 retirement.

It's difficult to know what Simmons and his team will do long term, but it's good to know that he has options as he tries to heal.