Sixers' Ben Simmons Receives Diagnosis, to be Re-Evaluated in 2 Weeks

For the last couple of days, Philadelphia 76ers star point guard Ben Simmons has been dealing a mystery back injury. Last Wednesday, as the team returned from the NBA All-Star break for practice, Simmons felt pain in his lower back as he attempted to go up for a rebound. After practice, he was checked out by the medical team.
The following afternoon, the Sixers ruled Simmons out for the matchup against the Brooklyn Nets. At the time, Sixers' head coach Brett Brown mentioned that he didn't believe Simmons' setback was anything too significant.
He was proven to be right momentarily as Simmons was cleared to play this past Saturday night against the Milwaukee Bucks. Unfortunately, Simmons' return didn't last too long. After spending just under five minutes on the court, Simmons called for trainers to follow him back to the locker room to get his back checked out.
After an initial X-ray, Simmons and the medical team were still left with questions. Therefore, they scheduled an MRI for Sunday morning as the team returned to Philly. It took a couple of days for the Sixers to figure out what's wrong with their All-Star guard, but at this point, they have reached an official diagnosis.
Tests on 76ers star Ben Simmons revealed he suffered nerve impingement in lower back and he will be re-evaluated in approximately two weeks, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 25, 2020
According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, Simmons has suffered a nerve impingement in his lower back. While there's no official timetable for his return, the Sixers' star will be re-evaluated in two weeks. And according to a team source, Simmons will receive daily treatment on his back in the meantime.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_
Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s Philadelphia 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia Threads: @JGrassoMedia
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