Ben Simmons has successful back surgery, Nets announce

By TIM REYNOLDS
AP Basketball Writer

Ben Simmons underwent what was determined to be a successful back surgery in Los Angeles. The Brooklyn Nets are hoping that he is fully recovered before the start of training camp this fall. Simmons will need about three weeks for an “initial recovery period,” the Nets say, before he can start his rehabilitation program. The procedure Simmons had was called a microdiscectomy, in which a small fragment of a herniated disc is removed to relieve pressure on the spinal column. Training camp will start in late September.