Ben Simmons won’t play for Australia in the Basketball World Cup, will continue rehab instead

NEW YORK (AP) — Ben Simmons won’t play for Australia this summer at the Basketball World Cup, with the Brooklyn Nets guard instead focusing on his recovery from injuries. The Australian Basketball Federation announced Thursday on Twitter that Simmons and the Nets had informed the organization that he would be unavailable. Simmons was limited to 42 games in his first full season with the Nets and didn’t play after the All-Star break. The team announced in late March that he had a nerve impingement in his back and would begin a rehabilitation program. Australia won bronze in the 2020 Olympics, its first medal in men’s basketball.