With new Philadelphia 76er Ben Simmons already having one of the top-selling jerseys in the league, expectations are high for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.
As Simmons has shown thus far, he’s aware of these expectations. During a recent media day, Simmons spoke to the media about the work he’s been putting in over the summer. The former LSU Tiger mentioned workouts with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade along with adding 33 pounds of muscle over the summer.
He told reporters in Philly his weight has increased from about 217 pounds to 250 pounds. Though it’s kind of hard to tell in the photo while standing next to James, it does appear that Simmons looks less skinny than he did during his college days. It seems like a natural evolution in Simmons’ game and one thing he needed to do to have his game transition to the next level. Along with his claim of packing on muscle, Simmons also spoke at length about his time with James and Wade. He had plenty of good things to say about the NBA superstars.
“Just being around him and learning from his habits and what he does has just helped me overall,” Simmons said of working out with James and other NBA stars during the summer. “He’ll be one of the first guys in the gym every day. It doesn’t matter what day it is. He’s one of those guys who gets the work in and enjoys the rest of his day. Just learning from him I think I can take a lot from what he’s done. … He’s done a lot for me. He’s helped me experience things I need to learn. “They get in the gym and work. It’s one of those things where they don’t play around. They get straight to it. Obviously in the weight room too. LeBron loves the VersaClimber and they also brought two more in here. I’m starting to learn from what these guys do, D-Wade (Dwyane Wade) also. They’re all doing the same thing, working out every day and getting ready.”
With these claims and a lot of hype going into the draft, all eyes will be on Simmons in his rookie season. Not to mention Simmons will also have to try and match NFL No. 1 overall pick Carson Wentz’ success in Philadelphia.
