Ben Simmons Signed Philadelphia 76ers Spalding Official Basketball UDA

On July 22, 2016, the Philadelphia 76ers announced that they had signed Ben Simmons to a multi-year contract. The contract included a Spalding Official Basketball UDA.

Ben Simmons

Benjamin David Simmons (born 20 July 1996) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for one season with the LSU Tigers before being drafted first overall by the Sixers in the 2016 NBA draft
Simmons was born in Melbourne, Australia, to African-American father Dave Simmons and Australian mother Julie Simmonds. He grew up in Newcastle, New South Wales, and attended High School at Box Hill Senior Secondary College before moving to the United States to play college basketball
In his lone season of collegiate basketball, Simmons was named a consensus first-team All-American and SEC Freshman of the Year. He also earned first-team All-SEC and SEC All-Defensive team honors. He averaged 19.2 points per game 11.8 rebounds per game 4.8 assists per game and 2.0 steals per game as a freshman for LSU in 2015–16. After the season, he declared for the 2016 NBA Draft and was selected with the first overall pick by Philadelphia.
Simmons debuted for Philadelphia during the 2016–17 season but missed most of it due to injury; he played one game before being ruled out for the remainder of the season due to a broken right foot suffered in training camp prior to his NBA debut

Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers are an American professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Atlantic Division and play at Wells Fargo Center. Founded in 1946 and originally known as the Syracuse Nationals they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA, and one of only eight (out of 23) to survive the league’s first decade.

Spalding

Spalding is an American Sporting Goods company based in Springfield, Massachusetts. The company is a member of the Better Business Bureau, an organization that promotes honest and ethical business practices.

Founded in 1876 by George H. Spalding and Horace Dodge, the company was originally called “Spalding & Company.” It was incorporated in 1900 as “Spalding Manufacturing Company.” The company’s first factory was located in Chicopee, Massachusetts.

Spalding began producing basketballs in 1894 and soon became the official basketball provider of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

Official Basketball

The official basketball of the National Basketball Association (NBA) is manufactured by Spalding, a division of Russell Brands. The current design has been used since 2006, and features a two-color Twain logo on an orange panel.

Basketballs used in the NBA are required to be between 28.5 and 29.5 inches (72 and 75 cm) in circumference and between 20 and 22 ounces (570 and620 g) in weight. They are also required to have an Inflation Pressure between 7.5 and 8.5 pounds per square inch (52 and 59 kPa).

UDA

The Upper Deck Authenticated (UDA) is a manufacturing company located in Carlsbad, California. The company specializes in creating licensed sports memorabilia UDA manufactured the first official ” game-day” baseball for the Yogi Berra Museum.

Simmons’ Signing

On July 15, 2016, Ben Simmons signed a 4-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, making him the face of the franchise. The contract is worth $20.9 million, with a rookie-scale option for a fifth year. This makes Simmons the highest-paid rookie in NBA history

Simmons was born in Melbourne, Australia, and played his high school basketball at Montverde Academy in Florida. He then played one college season at Louisiana State University (LSU), where he averaged 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game Simmons was named the consensus National College Player of the Year, as well as earning first-team All-American and first-team All-SEC honors. He then declared for the NBA Draft and was selected with the first overall pick by the 76ers.

The Signing Process

Before an athlete can officially join a team, they must first go through a process called “signing.” During this period, the athlete and the team come to an agreement on a contract that outlines the compensation and benefits the athlete will receive in exchange for their services. Once both parties have agreed to the terms of the contract, they will sign it, making it official.

In some cases, an athlete may be unable to come to an agreement with a team and will instead sign a “Letter of Intent ” This document allows the athlete to express their interest in joining the team and provides basic information about the terms of the contract, but it is not binding. The athlete can still back out of the deal at any time before signing a formal contract.

What This Means For The Sixers

This morning, the Sixers and Ben Simmons finally agreed to a max contract extension, a five-year, $170 million deal that will keep the All-Star point guard in Philadelphia through the 2025-26 season. The contract includes a player option for the fifth year.

The Sixers had until midnight tonight to extend Simmons or he would have become a restricted free agent next summer. There were reports that Simmons was considering signing a one-year qualifying offer worth $8.1 million and becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2021, but those reports were quickly shot down by his agent Rich Paul.

With Simmons locked up, the Sixers can now focus on extending Joel Embiid who is eligible for a five-year, $188 million extension. The Sixers have until December 21st to extend Embiid or he will become a restricted Free Agent next summer.

The Future Of Simmons And The Sixers

After much anticipation, the Philadelphia 76ers have finally signed Ben Simmons to his rookie contract. The highly touted Australian-born Simmons was the first overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft The Sixers have high hopes that Simmons will be a key piece in rebuilding their franchise into a title contender.

The Sixers have been very patient with Simmons, who missed last season after suffering a serious injury in training camp. Now that he is healthy and under contract, the Sixers are ready to see what he can do on the court. In addition to his physical gifts, Simmons has shown maturity and leadership qualities that are rare for a player of his age.

The Sixers have assembled a young and talented core of players, and they are hoping that Simmons can help lead them back to prominence in the NBA.

Other Thoughts

Before we get too far into this, let me just say that I am in no way a Ben Simmons fan. With that being said, I think the Sixers may have just made a huge mistake by signing him to this deal.

Simmons is coming off of an injury-riddled season in which he played in just three games. He averaged just 10 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists per game Not exactly the type of player you want to give a $170 million contract to.

The Sixers have already committed $328 million to Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris That’s a lot of money to tie up in three players. And for what? The chance to maybe win an NBA title? I don’t see it happening.

What do you think?