本西在持续不断的批评声中，袒露与伤病进行斗争经历

作者：托默·阿扎利

翻译：阿乐

加利福尼亚州洛杉矶——当洛杉矶快船队通过买断球员市场将本·西蒙斯招入麾下时，他们得到了一位技术全面的球员，从理想状态来讲，这名球员能够高水平地胜任场上五个位置。从理论上来说，得到一位身高6英尺10英寸（约2.08米）、28岁，拥有大前锋体格和控球后卫技术的前锋，这显然是个无需多想的明智之举。

但围绕西蒙斯的大多数新闻头条和热议话题，都是关于他的种种疑问。“他不总是受伤吗？”“他到底还热爱这项运动吗？” 以及 “这些年来他的球技到底有没有提高呢？”

西蒙斯在赛场外并不是个爱出风头的人，甚至当全世界都在议论他的时候，他也不觉得有必要为自己辩解。然而，在过去几年里，这位前锋所承受的一切，让我们对他的NBA职业生涯以及他仍在继续的拼搏有了不同的看法。

本·西蒙斯与他近期伤病的抗争

本·西蒙斯在效力费城76人队的新秀赛季，因脚部骨折而缺席了整个赛季。在接下来的四个赛季里，在可能出战的309场比赛中，西蒙斯打了275场，出勤率达到了球队比赛场次的89%。在因新冠疫情而缩短赛程的2019-20赛季，一次对阵密尔沃基雄鹿队的比赛中，他的背部出现了问题，情况开始变得不妙起来。

在2月22日76人队与雄鹿队比赛的第一节，西蒙斯突破上篮造成布鲁克·洛佩斯犯规。随后，在落地时，他的左后背下方似乎被韦斯利·马修斯轻轻地肘击了一下。

“我的后背立刻就僵硬得动不了了，” 西蒙斯在周日主场首秀前接受ClutchPoints的独家采访时说道，“我几乎动弹不得。我坚持罚完球，然后回到了更衣室，他们把我放在一张医院的病床上，接着把我送去了医院。”

西蒙斯在全明星赛间歇期后刚刚因76人队所称的 “背部僵硬” 缺席了一场比赛，但当时预计问题并不严重。

对他来说不幸的是，这次背部伤病仅仅是一个反复出现的问题的开端，这个问题不仅考验他的身体力量，也考验着他的精神毅力。

西蒙斯是在一笔涉及詹姆斯·哈登的交易中被交易到布鲁克林篮网队，为了加快交易在联盟办公室的审批流程，两支球队都放弃了体检环节。

西蒙斯因心理健康方面的问题以及背部伤病，缺席了整个2021-22赛季。2022-23赛季，他在布鲁克林篮网队只出战了42场比赛，2023-24赛季出战了15场，因为他的背部伤病一直持续。

在接受ClutchPoints的独家专访时，这位如今效力于洛杉矶快船队的前锋谈到了在人们对他篮球生涯的方方面面都提出质疑时，他私下里所经历的事情。

“我有两处椎间盘突出，” 西蒙斯告诉ClutchPoints，“我有两块椎间盘突出。在我还效力于篮网队的时候，出现过一次很可怕的情况，当时我的左腿失去了一些知觉，然后我们尽快处理了这个问题，因为这是很严重的事。我们控制住了局面。我做了手术，然后去年夏天进行了康复训练，一直专注于保持背部力量和核心力量。”

尽管在2022年已经做过一次背部手术，本·西蒙斯还是不得不在两年内接受第二次背部手术，因为他实在无法摆脱那种不适和疼痛。

2022年5月5日：本·西蒙斯成功接受了显微椎间盘切除术，该手术旨在缓解由椎间盘突出引起的疼痛。

2023年3月24日：本·西蒙斯被诊断出背部神经受压，将无限期缺阵。

2024年3月14日：本·西蒙斯成功接受了显微部分椎间盘切除术，以缓解神经受压的状况。

西蒙斯告诉ClutchPoints，他的第一次背部受伤最终需要接受手术，而那次受伤是他在自己家中上楼梯时造成的。

“之前就有过一次受伤，很明显你会想要避免做手术之类的情况，所以我们尽了一切努力让我继续留在赛场上，坚持下去，直到很明显我必须要做手术了。那是为了我好，所以我们第一次做了手术。手术进行得还不错，康复情况和身体感觉都还可以，然后又出现了一些和第一次类似的症状。我又做了一次扫描，结果发现又有一处椎间盘突出，所以第二次就把问题解决了。做了第二次手术之后，在日常活动的感觉方面，和之前相比简直是天壤之别。”

这导致这位以身材、身体素质、力量和速度为最强优势的明星球员，不得不连续三个休赛期都在伤病或手术后进行康复，而不是努力提升自己的球技。

“老实跟你说，这真的…… 太让人身心俱疲了，” 西蒙斯回忆道，他凝视着远方，思索着如何回答。“这一点都不好玩。因为说到底，我们是做出了牺牲的。所以对我来说，在做事的方式、做的事情、居住的地方，以及方方面面，我都牺牲了自己的夏天。这一切都归结于恢复健康，以及就保持健康和让身体恢复到良好状态而言，什么对我才是最好的。这不好玩，但这也是这份工作的一部分，所以处于那样的境地，真的会让人超级沮丧，但你身边得有合适的人，并且要清楚目标是什么。我觉得我去年夏天做到了这些，这让我现在状态不错。”

对于那些不了解康复过程究竟是怎么回事的人来说，“康复” 这个词并没有太大意义。这不仅仅是在三个月的休赛期里的事，而是在日常生活层面上的。这意味着连续好几个月，每天都要去进行康复，而且你知道在康复后期之前都碰不了篮球。对于那些为了确保能尽快回归赛场并且避免再次受伤而不得不改变一切的球员来说，这可能是一个极其艰苦的过程。

“人们不理解。这…… 这关乎所有的一切。这包括你的康复治疗、你正在进行的力量训练、灵活性训练。而且很多时候，一处伤病会影响到你身体的其他部位，你会更多地代偿用力，所以你得时刻留意腿部、臀部、背部和膝盖等各个部位的情况。每一个方面都很重要。这非常耗费精力，也让人疲惫不堪。虽然会面临这些状况，但这也是伤病带来的附带情况。一旦你看到自己在身体活动能力、力量等方面有了成效，那会让你觉得有所值，但这个过程真的很艰难，并不容易。我从不想看到任何人经历这些，但这是比赛的一部分。我以前经历过，而且我会继续努力挺过我必须面对的一切。

“这关乎所有的一切。从饮食、睡眠、休息，到你日常的活动模式、拉伸以及力量训练，方方面面都是如此。这简直是一份全职工作，但这也是我们拿薪水所要付出的。”

西蒙斯本赛季开始时没有伤痛困扰，布鲁克林篮网队和洛杉矶快船队的医疗团队都对他的状况进行管理，以确保他尽可能接近百分百的健康状态。

西蒙斯在篮网队期间，在可能出战的比赛中打了33场，其中9场缺席是因为背靠背赛程安排，还有几场是因为一些老伤复发。在2月28日湖人队主场两场比赛的第一场中，他被湖人队中锋特雷·杰米森三世撞击后，因左膝发炎，在快船队又缺席了7场比赛。

“如果这很容易，那每个人都能做到了，你懂吧？” 本·西蒙斯接着说，“我的意思是，我做过两次背部手术，还一直受膝盖问题困扰，但对我来说，我会继续坚持下去。当你遇到挫折时，我的心态就是这样。

“总会有产生怀疑之类的时候，但我觉得这取决于你是怎样的人。对我而言，我不是那种会就此停下、不再努力尝试回归赛场并恢复健康的人。所以我就是这样的性格。我就是热爱打篮球。这是我所熟知的一切，也是我能在高水平上从事的事情。而这也是这份工作的一部分。”

在持续与伤病作斗争、努力康复那些可能会改变其职业生涯的伤病的过程中，本·西蒙斯看到自己的名字在评论员的言论中、体育播客里以及全国各地的新闻报道中被负面地提及。

西蒙斯看得到这些。他能看到人们对他的所有评价，但他从没有觉得有必要在公众面前为自己辩解。在很多情况下，他本可以公开驳斥那些涉及到他的特定猜测或无端假设。

“总会有产生怀疑之类的时候，但我觉得这完全取决于你是怎样的人。对我来说，我生来就不是那种会就此停下，不去努力尝试回归并恢复健康的人。所以我就是这样的。我就是热爱这项运动。这是我所熟知的一切，也是我能在高水平赛事中从事的事情。而这也是这份工作的一部分。”

在不断努力与伤病作斗争、进行可能会改变其职业生涯的康复治疗的过程中，本·西蒙斯看到自己的名字被评论员、体育播客以及全国各地的新闻报道以负面的方式提及。

西蒙斯看到了这些。他看到了人们对他说的所有言论，但他从未觉得有必要在公众面前为自己辩护。在很多时候，他本可以公开驳斥那些涉及他的某些猜测或假设性言论。

“那都是他们瞎编的，” 西蒙斯告诉ClutchPoints，“就好比，想象一下，如果我随便说个人名，然后想说什么就说什么。那根本没有任何可信度，你懂吧？我是说，这些话是从哪儿来的呢？这不过是他们的想法、他们的观点罢了，每个人都有权发表自己的观点，但我从四岁起就一直在从事这项运动（篮球）。所以没什么能改变这一点。没错，没有什么能平白无故地就改变这一点。

“对于联盟来说，这绝对（产生了负面的多米诺效应）。因为现在没什么说法是真正站得住脚的。每个人都能想说什么就说什么，我的意思是，事情就是这样。就体育报道而言，如今的大环境就是如此。但是，就像…… 谁…… 是啊。我是说，我能说的有很多，但问题是，你没办法（改变这一切），我也不打算去改变每个人的看法。这不是我该做的事。”

本·西蒙斯表示，除非出现了对他来说极其严重且负面的事情，否则他才会站出来为自己辩解，而目前还没发生过这种情况。不过，他确实很在意很多关于自己的言论，尤其是考虑到社交媒体如今已经如此普及。

“我觉得在某种程度上你总会在意的。你不会希望别人说你的坏话，但得是那种特别过分的事才会真的让我生气。人们爱怎么说就怎么说吧。说到底，那些话并不会影响我的日常生活，你懂吧？所以我就做我该做的事。我来上班，努力工作，做好我的本职。

“我有一个强大的支持体系，有一个小圈子。那些说我坏话的人，没有一个在夏天的时候陪我一起在健身房训练。我做手术的时候，连路都几乎走不了的时候，他们也都不在场，你明白吧？所以对于人们说的那些话，真的没什么好评论的，因为他们也并不了解实情。他们没有掌握事实依据。”

而对于那些质疑这位28岁球员对篮球运动热爱程度的人，西蒙斯给出了一个简单的回应。

“篮球就是我的生命，” 西蒙斯向ClutchPoints坦言道，“我可不想拿自己的生命开玩笑。这就是我。篮球融入了我的家庭，流淌在我的血液里。这就是我所做的事。就像走路一样自然。我热爱篮球。这就是我要做的事。每天醒来，篮球就是我的一切。而且我热爱这项运动。我喜欢它给我和我的家人在生活中带来的机遇。所以，我是说，即便有一天我告别了篮球赛场，我依然会以某种方式参与其中，不管是当教练，还是帮助年轻人、回馈社会。这就是我要做的事。

本·西蒙斯在自身存在的不足方面并非毫无过错。但他也是一个不断遭遇艰难困境，却努力想要脱颖而出的人。他一直秉持着一种信念努力奋斗，相信最终一切都会好起来。

“我想让自己恢复到百分百的状态，然后其他的一切自然会水到渠成。”

LOS ANGELES, CA — When the Los Angeles Clippers added Ben Simmons to their roster through the buyout market, they added a versatile player who could ideally play all five positions at a high level. In theory, adding a 6-foot-10, 28-year old forward with the frame of a power forward and the skills of a point guard is a no brainer.

But the majority of the headlines and talking points surrounding Simmons are the question marks around him. “Isn't he always injured?” “Does he even love the game?” and “Has he even improved his game over the years?”

Simmons isn't a loud presence off the court or even one that feels the need to come to his own defense when the entire world speaks on his name. But what the forward has had to endure over the last couple of years puts his NBA career and his continued fight in a different perspective.

Ben Simmons and his battle with recent injuries

Ben Simmons missed his rookie season with the Philadelphia 76ers due to a fractured foot. Over the next four seasons, Simmons proceeded to play 275 out of a possible 309 games, or 89 percent of his team's games. Things started going awry when a back issue appeared during the COVID-shortened 2019-20 season in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks.

In the first quarter of the February 22nd contest between the 76ers and Bucks, Simmons drove to the basket and drew a foul on Brook Lopez. He then appeared to take a light elbow to the lower left side of his back from Wesley Matthews upon landing.

“It immediately just locked up on me,” Simmons told ClutchPoints in an exclusive interview before his home debut Sunday. “I could barely move. I stayed in to shoot the free throws and went to the back where they put me on one of those hospital beds and took me to the hospital.”

Simmons had just missed a game coming out of the All-Star break due to what the Sixers called, “back stiffness,” but it wasn't expected to be something serious.

Unfortunately for him, This back issue was only the start of a recurring issue that would test not only his physical strength, but his mental fortitude as well.

Simmons was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in a trade for James Harden, and both teams waived the physical examination portion in order to speed the deal's processing through the league office.

Simmons missed the entire 2021-22 season due to his mental health holdout as well as the back injury. He played just 42 games with the Nets in 2022-23 and 15 games with them in 2023-24 as his back issues persisted.

In an exclusive interview with ClutchPoints, the now-Clippers forward discussed what he was dealing with privately as people questioned every aspect of his basketball life.

“I had two herniations,” Simmons told ClutchPoints. “I had two herniated discs, had a scary situation when I was with the Nets where I had lost some sensation in my left leg, and then we addressed that ASAP because it's a serious thing. We got a handle on that. I had the surgery and then rehabbed last summer and just been focused on maintaining my back strength and core strength.”

Despite having one back surgery already in 2022, Ben Simmons was forced to undergo a second back surgery in a two-year span as he was simply unable to get rid of the discomfort and pain.

May 5, 2022: Ben Simmons undergoes successful microdiscectomy designed to alleviate pain caused by herniated disc.

March 24, 2023: Ben Simmons diagnosed with nerve impingement in back, out indefinitely.

March 14, 2024: Ben Simmons undergoes successful microscopic partial discectomy to alleviate nerve impingement.

Simmons tells ClutchPoints he suffered the first back injury that eventually required surgery by walking upstairs in his own house.

“One had happened earlier, and obviously you want to stay away from having surgeries and things like that, so we did everything we could to keep me out there and keep me going until, obviously, I had to have the surgery. That was for my best interest, so we did that the first time. It went all right, it went okay in terms of the rehab and how it's feeling, and just had some other symptoms that were similar to the first one. I got another scan, then I had another herniation, so got that cleaned up the second time. And it was day and night in terms of how it was feeling, moving day-to-day with that second surgery.”

That led to the star player, whose strongest attributes were his size, physicality, strength, and speed, having to spend three consecutive offseasons rehabbing from injuries or surgery instead of trying to improve his game.

“It’s… It's draining, to be honest with you,” Simmons recalled, staring off in the distance thinking of his response. “It's not fun. Because at the end of the day, we sacrifice. So for me, I'm sacrificing my summer in terms of how I’m doing things, what I'm doing, where I'm living, everything. It comes down to just getting healthy and what's best for me in terms of staying healthy and getting my body in the right place. It's not fun, but it's part of the job, too, so being in a situation like that, it's super frustrating, but you have to have the right people around you and know what the goal is. I feel like I did that last summer, and it's put me in a good place.”

The word, “rehabilitation,” doesn't mean much to those who aren't privy to what really goes into it. Not just over a three month offseason, but on a day-to-day level. That means showing up every single day for months knowing you won't be touching a basketball until the latter portions of the recovery. To the players who have to change everything in order to make sure they're able to return as soon as possible and avoid re-injury, it can be a grueling process.

“People don't understand. It’s… It’s everything. It's your recovery, it's the strength work you're doing, it's the mobility work you do, and then oftentimes, you have injuries that affects other parts of your body where you're compensating more, so it's staying on top of everything in terms of your legs, your hips, your back, your knees. Everything plays a role in it. And it's draining. It's fatiguing. It's all of those things, but it comes with it. Once you see it paying off in terms of your movement or your strength and things like that, it helps, but it's tough. It's not easy. I never want to see anybody go through that, but it's a part of the game. I've done it before, and I continue to push through what I have to.

“It's everything. It's from diet, to sleep, to rest, to the daily patterns you're doing in terms of movement, stretching, strength training, it's everything. It's a full-time job, but it's what we get paid to do.”

Simmons entered this season pain free, and has been managed by both the Brooklyn Nets and LA Clippers medical teams in order to make sure he's as close to 100 percent as he can be.

Simmons played 33 of a possible games with the Nets, with nine absences due to back-to-back scheduling and a couple of others due to nagging injuries. He also just came off a seven-game absence with the Clippers due to inflammation in his left knee after taking a hit from Lakers center Trey Jemison III during the first of two Lakers home games on February 28th.

“If it was easy, everybody would be doing it, you know?” Ben Simmons continued. “I mean, I've had two back surgeries, I've been dealing with my knee, but for me, I'm just going to keep going. That's just how my mindset is when you have a setback.

“There's always times of doubt and things like that, but I think it's just who you are. For me, I'm just not built in a way where I'm just going to stop and not try and attempt to get back and get healthy. So that's just how I am. I just, I love playing the game. It's all I know. It's what I do at a high level. And this is a part of the job.”

While constantly battling with his body to rehab injuries that could be considered career-altering, Ben Simmons has seen his name thrown around negatively on by talking heads, on sports podcasts, and in news reports around the country.

Simmons sees it. He sees everything people sayabout him, but he's never felt the need to publicly defend himself. On a number of occasions, he could've publicly shot down certain pieces of speculation or hypotheticals involving his name.

“There's always times of doubt and things like that, but I think it's just who you are. For me, I'm just not built in a way where I'm just going to stop and not try and attempt to get back and get healthy. So that's just how I am. I just, I love playing the game. It's all I know. It's what I do at a high level. And this is a part of the job.”

While constantly battling with his body to rehab injuries that could be considered career-altering, Ben Simmons has seen his name thrown around negatively on by talking heads, on sports podcasts, and in news reports around the country.

Simmons sees it. He sees everything people sayabout him, but he's never felt the need to publicly defend himself. On a number of occasions, he could've publicly shot down certain pieces of speculation or hypotheticals involving his name.mo

“That's them making shit up,” Simmons told ClutchPoints. “Like, imagine if I just said like, name whoever, and said whatever. It doesn't hold any weight, you know? Like, where does it come from? It's just their thought, it's their opinion, and everyone's entitled to their opinion, but I've been doing this my whole life since I was four years old. So nothing is going to change that. Yeah, nothing's just going to change that out of nowhere.

“For the league, it 100% [has a negative domino effect]. Because nothing's really valid now. Everyone can say what they want, and I mean, it is what it is. That's where the world's going in terms of covering the sport. But like… Who… Yeah. I mean, there's a lot I can say, but it's just, you can't, I'm not going to change everyone's opinion. It's not my job.”

Ben Simmons says it takes something really powerful or negative about him to speak out and defend himself, which hasn't happened yet. But he does a lot that's said about him, especially given how prevalent social media has become.

“I think you always care to an extent. You don't want people saying bad things about you, but it's got to be a bad thing for me to really be pissed off. People say what they want. At the end of the day, that doesn't affect my day-to-day, you know? So I just do what I do. I come to work, work hard, and do my job.

“I've got a strong support system, a small circle. None of those people who say things about me were in the gym with me in the summer. None of those people were there when I had surgery, when I could barely walk, you know? So there's not much to really comment on in terms of what people say, because they also don't know. They don't have the facts.”

And for those questioning the 28-year old's passion for the game of basketball, Simmons has a simple message.

“Basketball is my life,” Simmons admitted to ClutchPoints. “I don't want to play with my life. So that's who I am. It's in the family, it's in the blood. This is what I do. It's like walking. I love it. This is just what I do. Wake up, basketball's my thing. And I love the game. I love the opportunities it's given me in life and my family. So, I mean, even when I step away from the game one day, I'll still be involved in some aspect, whether it's coaching, whether it's helping the youth and giving back. That's just what I'm going to do.

Ben Simmons isn't blameless in any of his shortcomings. But he's also a guy whose been dealt tough hand after tough hand trying to come out on top. He works and operates with the belief that it will all work out for him in the end.

“I want to get to 100 percent and then everything else will handle itself.”