Ben Simmons wants to play for Australia in Paris Olympics: 'It's my goal' / News - Basketnews.com

Simmons said there never was a time when he was fully healthy and prepared to play for Australia. His goal now is to represent his home country in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Credit: Mitchell Leff/Getty Images via AFP - Scanpix Credit Mitchell Leff/Getty Images via AFP - Scanpix

It's been 10 years since Ben Simmons last played for the Australian national team. Ready to get back to the NBA fully healthy, the Brooklyn Nets forward wants to return to the Boomers squad as well.

Ben Simmons

Position:SF, PFAge:27Height:208 cmWeight:104 kgBirth place:AustraliaProfileNewsStatistics

Simmons has been recovering from a back injury that kept him out from playing in the league since February. Now considered fully healthy, the 27-year-old looks forward to fully enjoying playing basketball.

In an interview with Marc J. Spears from Andscape, Simmons told that his goal is to play for Australia once again, and to do it in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. He's 100% healthy, he says, and it feels weird.

"I don't think people realize how bad it was in terms of physically how I was feeling and what I was able to do on the floor. Being able to sit down now and not have to lean or slouch one way, it's kind of crazy for me. But I feel I'm at 100% now," the player said.

"Yeah, for sure. Olympics? Yeah, 100%," he said when asked whether he's considering representing Australia in the Paris Olympics. "That's what I want to do next year."

The player said that there never was a time when the circumstances would have allowed him to play international basketball.

"I'll let you break the news. I want to play. That's the other thing. I get messages from Australian people like, 'Yo, you should be playing right now. Jock Landale is playing right now.' To me, I'm going to play when I'm ready," Simmons said.

"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," the player declared.

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