Australia's Simmons ruled out of basketball World Cup

CANBERRA, June 30 (Xinhua) -- NBA All-Star Ben Simmons will not play for Australia at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

In a statement posted on social media on Friday, Basketball Australia (BA) announced that Simmons, 26, is unavailable for the upcoming tournament as he continues to recover from back injury.

"Ben Simmons and the Brooklyn Nets have advised Basketball Australia that Ben is unavailable for the World Cup," BA said.

"Ben needs more time to focus on his rehab and he looks forward to being part of the Boomers in the future. We wish Ben all the best in his recovery."

The first overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft, Simmons has not represented Australia at international level since 2013.

He was not included in Boomers' extended 18-man squad for the World Cup, which will be hosted by the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia, but coach Brian Goorjian said he had an open invitation to join the selection camp on August 1.

"He's got an open end on it, an invitation to August 1, and if you can come through the door and perform at his level, he's going to be in there and giving us a much better chance to win," Goorjian said.

Simmons burst onto the scene in the NBA, winning Rookie of the Year in 2018 and being named an All-Star for three straight seasons from 2019-21.

However, he has struggled since being traded from the Philadelphia 76ers to the Nets and missed the second half of the 2022-23 season due to injury.

The Boomers are aiming for a top three finish at the World Cup after claiming a historic bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

The team will be led by veterans Patty Mills and Joe Ingles, along with rising star Josh Giddey.