LSU Professional Athletes

After more than a year away from professional basketball, Ben Simmons is back — and Sacramento is betting he's got something left.

The LSU product signed a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Sacramento Kings ahead of the 2026-27 season, choosing Sacramento over several other suitors including the Golden State Warriors. The deal is modest by NBA standards, but the stakes feel anything but. Simmons, a three-time All-Star whose career derailed through a combination of injury, controversy, and diminished play, has spent the offseason insisting he feels healthy and ready. The Kings, it turns out, are starting to believe him.

Head coach Doug Christie has pointed to Simmons as a potential cornerstone of Sacramento's defensive identity — a role that suits the 6-foot-7 point guard's natural strengths as a switchable, playmaking defender. Christie publicly flagged defensive improvement as a priority heading into 2026-27, and a healthy Simmons, if he's genuinely back, would give the Kings a legitimate defensive engine they've lacked for years.

The Debut Watch

Getting Simmons on the floor has been its own subplot. He was ruled out of Sacramento's preseason opener against the Lakers, but per Andscape's Marc J. Spears, he's expected to suit up later in the week — with the Warriors game on Saturday emerging as the likely target for his NBA return. That's a fitting stage: Simmons chose Sacramento over Golden State, and now he'll face Stephen Curry's squad in his first action since his extended absence.

Not everyone is buying the hype. NBA fans and observers were quick to push back on insider praise that drew comparisons to Simmons' Philadelphia 76ers peak. The skepticism is understandable — he hasn't played meaningful basketball in over a year, and his late-career regression in Brooklyn was steep. But the Kings' internal optimism appears genuine, with the organization describing his preseason work as "impressive" and believing he can return to All-Star-caliber play.

Eason Erupts, Reid Earns Praise

Simmons isn't the only LSU alumnus making noise this week. Tari Eason turned heads in the NBA China Games, dropping 20 points and nine rebounds as the Houston Rockets routed the Dallas Mavericks 135-117. Eason's output was the standout individual line of the game, offering an early reminder that the Rockets' frontcourt depth is legitimate heading into the new season.

Meanwhile, in Charlotte, Naz Reid is already winning over his new coaching staff. Head coach Charles Lee was effusive in his praise of what Reid has shown since arriving with the Hornets — the byproduct of a trade that sent LaMelo Ball to Minnesota. Reid, a versatile power forward who flashed real scoring and shot-creating ability in Minnesota, appears to be settling into his new role quickly. The Hornets are in a transitional moment, but Reid's early impressions are a bright spot.

The LSU Lens

Three alumni, three distinct storylines — but Simmons is the one the league is watching. If he's genuinely healthy and motivated, the Kings may have quietly pulled off one of the better low-risk, high-upside signings of the offseason. If not, the skeptics will have their told-you-so moment soon enough. Either way, the basketball world won't have to wait long to find out.

Nearly 18 months away from professional basketball, and Ben Simmons still can't stay out of the headlines. The LSU product's comeback with the Sacramento Kings on a one-year, $3.5 million deal has been equal parts promising and predictably chaotic — and the regular season hasn't even started yet.

The Comeback

Simmons sat out the entire 2025-26 season, and his path back to Sacramento started with a direct conversation: he told Kings GM Scott Perry he was healthy, Perry believed him, and a deal got done. At media day, Simmons didn't hedge his ambitions. He said he wants to "dominate" — a word choice that raised eyebrows given his extended absence — and pushed back hard on critics who've questioned his love for the game. "That's bulls--t," he said, attributing his absence to chronic injury issues rather than any lack of competitive drive.

Kings head coach has offered encouraging early returns from training camp, and teammate Malik Monk spoke positively about the prospect of sharing the court with Simmons and the offensive wrinkles their pairing could create. Zach LaVine, the Kings' other marquee offseason addition, also had a favorable reaction to playing alongside his new backcourt partner. Simmons even took a moment to mentor Kings rookie Darius Acuff Jr., sending a message that he's engaged and bought in.

The Noise

Of course, it wouldn't be a Ben Simmons story without controversy trailing close behind.

First came the airball. A clip of Simmons bricking a three-pointer in practice went viral almost immediately, reigniting every tired debate about his shooting. Simmons addressed it directly, pointing out the selection bias at play — one bad rep out of an entire practice session got amplified while everything else disappeared. He also took aim at ESPN and other outlets, accusing them of pushing "false narratives" about him throughout his career.

Then came media day, which took an entirely different kind of bizarre turn. A hot mic captured reporters in the room discussing Simmons and LaVine — commenting on their physical attractiveness and, in Simmons' case, calling him "cringe." The clip spread fast. LaVine's wife Hunter fired back publicly. Simmons, for his part, used the moment to defend his new teammate, saying LaVine "isn't a prick" after the reporters' comments about the guard's personality circulated. The incident even prompted former King DeMarcus Cousins to surface with his own story about a similar uncomfortable episode from his Sacramento days.

The Other Tiger in the League

LSU's Naz Reid is also generating buzz this week, though in a far quieter register. Now with the Charlotte Hornets after being dealt from Minnesota, Reid is drawing genuine optimism from head coach Charles Lee, who detailed his excitement about what the power forward brings to Charlotte's roster. It's a fresh start for Reid, who arrives as one of the more intriguing frontcourt pieces in the East.

The Bottom Line

Simmons' Kings tenure is already delivering the full spectrum: legitimate on-court encouragement from coaches and teammates, and a media circus that seemingly follows him regardless of what he does. For LSU alumni watching, the question isn't whether Simmons can generate attention — it's whether Sacramento can channel all that noise into something meaningful when the games actually count.

The Comeback Nobody Saw Coming

A year of sportfishing apparently wasn't enough. Ben Simmons, the three-time All-Star and LSU product who spent last season entirely away from competitive basketball, is returning to the NBA on a one-year deal with the Sacramento Kings — and the terms of how it happened say a lot about where both sides stand.

Simmons didn't land this signing through reputation alone. According to Heavy Sports, he worked out in front of Kings executives and coaches, impressed enough to earn a non-guaranteed contract, and then made his case directly to general manager Scott Perry. Perry, speaking on Sactown Sports 1140, revealed that Simmons personally communicated why Sacramento was his destination of choice — framing it as a deliberate decision, not a last resort.

Perry has also gone on record discussing Simmons' health and his "desire to return," signaling that the Kings did their due diligence before committing. That matters, because the injury history is real. Sports Illustrated catalogued Simmons' extensive medical record — back issues, knee problems, mental health absences — as a cautionary backdrop to what Sacramento is gambling on. The best-case scenario, per SI's breakdown: a switchable, facilitating playmaker who gives the Kings a dimension they've lacked. The worst case is familiar to anyone who watched his final years in Brooklyn.

Still, the Kings are training camp-bound with a player who, when healthy and engaged, is one of the more unique positional fits in basketball. A 6-foot-11 point guard who doesn't shoot but can guard one through four, facilitate in transition, and clean the glass — that profile doesn't expire at 30. It just requires a functional back and a willing mind.

Others to Watch

The Simmons story dominates, but LSU has other alumni with training camp stakes worth tracking.

Tari Eason is entering a pivotal year in Houston. The Rockets — loaded with Kevin Durant, Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun, and Jabari Smith Jr. — have a depth crunch, and per ClutchPoints, Eason is among the players on the hottest trade candidate seats as camp opens. His athleticism and defensive motor have never been in question; his ability to carve out rotation minutes on a championship-contending roster is the new test.

Meanwhile, Duop Reath signed with the Phoenix Suns this offseason, but Yahoo Sports notes that his path to a guaranteed roster spot is anything but certain. "Reath could make the roster, accept a two-way deal, or disappear after camp," the outlet wrote — a candid summation of the long-shot nature of his situation. The Australian center, like his countryman Simmons, is trying to prove he belongs in an increasingly crowded league.

Cameron Thomas (Bucks), Naz Reid (Hornets), Javonte Smart (Magic), and Skylar Mays (Lakers) round out a deep LSU contingent across the league, though none generated significant news in this cycle.

The Bigger Picture

For LSU fans, the Simmons storyline carries the most emotional weight. He arrived in Baton Rouge as the most hyped recruit in program history, spent one season before going first overall in 2016, and has spent a decade alternately dazzling and frustrating the basketball world. Sacramento represents something rare: a clean slate in a market hungry for relevance. Whether Simmons can deliver — or whether the body holds — is the question that will define his 2026-27 season before it even begins.