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Ben Simmons finally captured a championship — just not in the sport that defined most of his professional career. On Sunday, the former NBA player won the Sport Fishing Championship (SFC) Blue Marlin Open in the Bahamas.
Simmons competed as an angler for South Florida Sails, a club he co-owns.
Simmons said his investment in angling was driven by a long-standing passion for the sport. “I’ve always believed that investing in what you love means you have a responsibility to help move it forward,” said Simmons, who last appeared in an NBA game during his lone season with the Los Angeles Clippers.
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Los Angeles Clippers guard Ben Simmons plays in the third quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. (Darren Yamashita/Imagn Images)
“Sport fishing has given me incredible experiences and SFC is creating a platform that treats offshore fishing like the elite sport it is.”
The No. 1 overall pick by Philadelphia in the 2016 NBA Draft, Simmons was traded to Brooklyn in February 2022. He missed the entire 2021–22 season due to a contract dispute with the Sixers and a herniated disc that surfaced after arriving with the Nets. Simmons later underwent back surgery after Brooklyn’s playoff run.
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Since becoming an NBA free agent after the 2024-25 season, Simmons appears to have shifted his focus from basketball to competitive fishing.
Simmons’ stake in Sails was announced last December. South Florida’s official SFC website lists the three-time NBA All-Star as the franchise’s controlling owner.
South Florida opened the event strong, aided by angler Alex Stanley’s 450-point blue marlin release.
Philadelphia 76ers point guard Ben Simmons looks on after Game One of the first round of the 2018 NBA playoffs against the Miami Heat at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 14, 2018. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Stanley added another blue marlin release later in the day, helping Sails close out Day 1 at the top of the leaderboard.
South Florida cruised to the title after a dominant Saturday built a scary lead going into Sunday’s final day. The Sails closed the event with 2,925 points, nearly 1,500 more than the New Jersey Sea Birds.
Ben Simmons of the Brooklyn Nets looks on during the first half against the Utah Jazz at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on January 29, 2024. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
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Simmons’ victory came less than a year after professional athlete Scottie Scheffler saw his Texas Lone Stars win the Zane Gray Championship Playoffs. Scheffler is a two-time Masters champion.
