Ben Simmons’ NBA career may have come to an abrupt halt, with reports suggesting that the former No. 1 draft pick is instead focusing on professional fishing. However, a video of Simmons failing to throw a fish back into the water has the NBA community in stitches, with jokes drawing parallels to his well-documented shooting struggles.
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In a video doing the rounds on X, Simmons appears to be showing a fish that he caught off, before turning around to throw it in the ocean behind him. The funny part here, according to many, was that he had a huge body of water to aim for. Instead the fish hit the deck.
Ben Simmons had the ENTIRE ocean to throw the fish back and MISSED pic.twitter.com/Il1MjlWM92
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) December 24, 2025
Simmons used his left hand for the throw, which reignited theories that he may have been shooting with the wrong hand throughout his NBA career. Although he has always shot left-handed, speculation, even before the fishing incident, has long suggested that Simmons is actually right-handed.
One of the most prominent voices to consistently claim that Simmons shoots with the wrong hand is Kevin O’Connor, a respected media personality. Back in 2020, he shared a video of Simmons, then with the 76ers, struggling to hit a bell with his left hand before proceeding to strike it perfectly with his right.
Now, reacting to pictures and videos of his recent fishing adventures, O’Connor has stated, “Ben Simmons casts right and retrieves left, a technique that allows right-handed anglers to keep their dominant hand on the rod for maximum control. The evidence is overwhelming that he shot the basketball with the wrong hand.”
Fans, who are extremely invested in Simmons’ fishing style, seemed to agree with O’Connor. A user on X, replying to the video of him throwing the fish on the deck, commented, “Using his weak hand that’s why.” It’s not even a debate for this person anymore.
@KevinOConnor left hand fish toss. If it was his right hand it woulda been fine
— Lakers Teej (@LakersTeej) December 24, 2025
“Everyone knows he’s right handed,” another fan wrote. Another fan wondered just how Simmons got about the shooting the basketball left-handed. “Who told him he’s left handed?” they wondered.
Simmons has already bought a stake in a pro-fishing team that will compete in the Sports Fishing Championship, just like NASCAR’s Austin Dillon and NFL’s Raheem Mostert did. But is the sport going to pay Simmons the same hundreds of millions NBA teams did? Nope. To be honest, even NBA teams may not pay him that much anymore.
But that doesn’t mean the Aussie isn’t eyeing a comeback. Simmons wants to return to the NBA. It may be mid-way this season, or the start of the 26/27 campaign too.
