Ben Simmons commits to Australia (again) for the 2028 Olympics, assuming his native country would even want him on the roster

Ben Simmons wants another shot at international basketball. Whether Australia actually believes him this time around is a whole different story.

The now Los Angeles Clippers forward made a surprising announcement over the weekend, telling basketball writer Grant Afseth that he plans to represent Australia in the 2028 L.A. Olympics.

“That’s what I’ve always wanted — to play in the Olympics,” Simmons said. “If I’m healthy and I’m good to go, then I’ll definitely be there.”

Obviously, there’s a lot to unpack here. First and foremost, if you’ve followed Ben Simmons’ relationship with Australian basketball, you probably already know this story. Simmons has made this exact same promise multiple times, only to back out before the actual tournament.

He’s the Aussie boy who cried wolf, if you will.

It happened for the 2019 FIBA World Cup, the 2021 Olympics, and the 2023 World Cup, among others. Every time, he says he’s committed. Every time, something comes up so while Simmons wants to represent Australia in 2028, it’s perfectly fair to question whether or not they would even want him to begin with, right?

Simmons’ relationship with the Boomers has been rocky at best. The three-time NBA All-Star hasn’t played a meaningful international game for Australia in nearly a decade.

The last time he was supposed to suit up—for the 2023 FIBA World Cup—he again announced he was ready to play…only for Australia to snub him first.

They simply didn’t have time for the will-he-won’t-he act anymore.

But there’s a new wrinkle this time: Australia has undergone a coaching change, with Adam Caporn taking over for longtime head coach Brian Goorjian.

According to Ben Simmons, that makes a difference.

“I’ve known [Caporn] for a while,” Simmons said. “He’s a great coach and a great person.”

That’s nice, but is Australia willing to get hurt again? Simmons is 27 right now and still battling the same injury and inconsistency issues that have plagued his career for years. By 2028, he’ll be 32 years old, and who even knows what his NBA career will look like by then?

Right now, he’s on a one-year deal with the Clippers and already looking like a fringe rotation player. Simmons is averaging just 5.1 points, 4.6 assists, and 4.3 rebounds over seven games in LA and if he can’t even stay healthy enough to produce at a high-level in the NBA, what exactly is he bringing to Team Australia in 2028?

Ben Simmons’ “Commitment” to Australia Is Just Noise Until He Proves Otherwise

At this point, Australian basketball fans aren’t even getting their hopes up. They’ve been burned way too many times and in all likelihood, the ship has sailed on Ben Simmons playing for the national team.

The Olympics are still four years away and if I had to guess, no one in Australia is buying it until they actually see Ben Simmons wearing green and gold on an Olympic court. Until then this is just another empty promise from the most unreliable man in international basketball.

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