Nearly ten years after the Philadelphia 76ers made him the first pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, Ben Simmons finally has a title.
In sportfishing.
Simmons and the rest of the South Florida Sails captured the Sport Fishing Championship Blue Marlin Open in the Bahamas. Across three days of competitive fishing, the Sails secured 2,925 points, thanks to six blue marlin releases. The Sails fell just one blue marlin short of tying the all-time SFC single-event team record of seven, set by Third Coast Renegades Angling Club during the 2025 Pensacola Billfish Release Tournament.
“The fishing was really good for us, we were holding the ball,” said Captain Mike King of South Florida Sails Angling Club. “I had an area to myself for a couple days and I really couldn’t understand why the boats weren’t coming.”
In December 2025, the Sport Fishing Championship announced that Simmons had purchased a controlling stake in the Sails. The former NBA player, who grew up fishing in Australia, called sportfishing an “elite sport” when the deal was announced.
“I have always believed that investing in what you love means you have a responsibility to help move it forward,” Simmons said at the time. “Sportfishing has given me incredible experiences, and SFC is creating a platform that treats offshore fishing like the elite sport it is.”
And now Simmons has a title in that elite sport.
Frankly, there is something heartwarming about Simmons finding success on the seas. While his NBA career may not have lived up to expectations, he tapped into a new competitive venture, and is having success with it. That is, at least to this author, inspirational.
Good for him for finding this new passion, and making the most of it.
