Ben Simmons has response after practice jumper goes viral

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ben Simmons has response after practice jumper goes viral

Originally posted on Hoops Wire | By Sam Amico | Last updated Oct 2, 2026 6:42 PM ET

Ben Simmons is back in the NBA. So naturally, we’re already talking about his jump shot again.

Some traditions never die.

A video of Simmons taking 3-pointers after a Kings practice went viral this week, with one particular airball receiving considerably more attention than anything that went through the basket. Simmons noticed.

“I airball one, and one of y’all posted it, and that’s the one that goes viral,” Simmons said, via Sports Illustrated. “S–t happens, you know? It’s basketball. I get my shots up, I get my work in, it is what it is.”

Welcome back, Ben. To be fair, Simmons probably could make 97 consecutive 3-pointers in an empty gym and everyone would spend the afternoon analyzing the other three.

That’s just where his NBA career has taken us. Simmons returned to the league with Sacramento after sitting out last season, and he’s already made it clear that he’s finished worrying about what people say about him.

Ben Simmons doesn’t understand why fans keep overanalyzing his jumper

“I airball one, and one of yall posted it, and that’s the one that goes viral..sh*t happens.”

(h/t @KingsShowYoo ) pic.twitter.com/T6AnC6AEKL

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 2, 2026

“All these people talk about me not loving the game. That’s bulls–t,” Simmons said earlier this week. “I love the game.”

The Kings aren’t expecting Simmons to suddenly turn into Stephen Curry. He became a three-time All-Star without much of a perimeter shot in the first place.

They’d presumably settle for healthy, engaged and productive. As for the occasional ugly practice jumper? Simmons seems to have the right idea.

Sometimes a basketball player misses a basketball shot.

This article first appeared on Hoops Wire and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: