Basketballer Ben Simmons set to become Australia’s best paid sportsman EVER as he signs a new contract worth to $286million
- Simmons, 22, is set to sign the huge deal with the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday
- If signed, the deal will be the richest deal ever signed by an Australian athlete
- The deal could also potentially balloon if Simmons fulfills a certain criteria
Ben Simmons is poised to make Australian sporting history with a new multi-million dollar contract with the Philadelphia 76ers.
The 22-year-old Melbourne-born player is expected to sign a $239million five-year contract extension with the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday.
The five-year contract extension would be the richest deal signed by an Australian athlete and would balloon to $286million if the 22-year-old makes an All-NBA team next season.
Simmons and the 76ers are eligible to sign the extension on Tuesday.
Ben Simmons (pictured) is poised to make Australian sporting history with a new multi-million dollar contract with the Philadelphia 76ers
The 22-year-old Melbourne-born player (pictured with ex-girlfriend Kendall Jenner) is expected to sign a $239million five-year contract extension with the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday
The deal might be historic for Australia but it will be one of many signed by NBA superstars during the frenzied free agency period.
Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Jimmy Butler and Kemba Walker will be eligible to sign new multi-year contracts with their current teams or re-shape the NBA landscape by fleeing to new teams.
Both Durant and Irving have signed mega-deals to team up on the Brooklyn Nets while Walker has joined the Boston Celtics.
Simmons’ potential new contract, which will begin in the 2020-21 season, will see him earn 25 percent of his team’s entire salary cap.
Growing up in Melbourne with five other siblings who all had loved playing sports, Simmons knew from a young age he was going to play basketball professionally.
‘I think when I was, like, five years old, I had a dream that I would play in the NBA and I wrote it down on a piece of paper at that age,’ he told GQ magazine in February this year.
Simmons’ (pictured with LeBron James) potential new contract, which will begin in the 2020-21 season, will see him earn 25 percent of his team’s entire salary cap
‘I’ve still got it.’
When Simmons was only 15, he headed for the US to turn his dream into a reality and ended up at the LeBron James Skills Camp in Las Vegas.
James noticed Simmons’ potential and signaled him out and eventually taking him under his wing and still acts as a mentor.
Simmons played for Louisiana State University for one year before being drafted by the 76ers with the first pick in 2016.
As well as being highly sought after on the court, Simmons has also been pursued by a slew of high-profile females, including RnB songstress Tinashe and most recently, model Kendall Jenner.
Simmons is expected to sign his contract on Sunday (Monday 11am AEST)