Nets' Ben Simmons makes heartfelt donation for China basketball

Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons made his Chinese fans extra happy with his latest move, though it's probably not what many fans are thinking.

To get it out of the way: No, Simmons is not moving to China. While his future with the Nets and the NBA remain uncertain after his massive downfall and recent injury issues, there's no decision yet on what will happen to him. He is still recovering from the nerve impingement in his back that ended this 2022-23 season prematurely, so fans will have to wait until the offseason to determine his next step.

Instead, Simmons made waves in the Chinese basketball community after he reportedly donated a basketball court to the Machang town in the Guizhou province of China, per China.org. There is currently a local basketball league in China, called the VBA, that has been making headlines in the nation–with the finals of the said tournament even garnering 30,000 audiences on site and more than a hundred million online.

With Simmons' basketball court donation, the deputy director of Machang Town expressed hope that they can better promote the sport.

“I'm very excited and happy to announce the court donation. Deep thanks to Ambassador Huang Ping and Guizhou government. I first visited China to play basketball when I was 16 years old, and then again as an NBA player. I always enjoyed visiting the people, and the fans are always so welcoming, and the love for basketball there is incredible,” Simmons said Sunday during a news conference held for the basketball court.

“My wish is to bring the joy of basketball to more people, so I wanted to donate a court to help places where people love the game and can benefit from new facilities. I hear people in Guizhou have amazing local basketball tournaments, and they just had this year's final. I wish the people of Guizhou all the best, and hopefully will get to see them soon in the future.”

Ben Simmons will likely visit the court in the future when he takes a trip to China. For now, though, it doesn't look like he's going anywhere as he continues his rehab.