Report: Ben Simmons, 76ers reach settlement to recoup part of nearly $20 million lost in holdout

Ben Simmons is getting at least some of his money back from the Philadelphia 76ers.

Simmons, after a lengthy feud with the 76ers that resulted in him sitting out during the 2021-22 season, reached a settlement with the team on Monday after he filed a grievance against them, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

According to Wojnarowski, the two sides reached a confidentiality agreement regarding the settlement amount. The 76ers still “maintained Simmons reached his contract” with them.

Simmons, now with the Brooklyn Nets, did not play at all last season due to both his holdout and a lingering back injury. He didn’t show up to training camp with the 76ers last fall, and he missed a preseason game, which prompted the team to fine him heavily and start withholding his salary.

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The 76ers eventually stopped punishing him after he said he wasn’t “mentally ready” to play. He was then traded to Brooklyn in February for James Harden and Paul Millsap.

Simmons had signed a five-year, $170 million max extension with Philadelphia in 2019, and he was supposed to make about $33 million last season. He reportedly received a $16.5 million advance on his salary before the season began.

The 76ers started fining Simmons for every game he missed, and ended up fining him more than $19 million by Feb. 1. The team withheld nearly $1.3 million of his salary in each paycheck.