Ben Simmons finally has a championship

Nearly ten years after the Philadelphia 76ers made him the first pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, Ben Simmons finally has a title. In sportfishing. Simmons and the rest of the South Florida Sails captured the Sport Fishing Championship Blue Marlin Open in the Bahamas.

Across three days of competitive fishing, the Sails secured 2,925 points, thanks to six blue marlin releases. The Sails fell just one blue marlin short of tying the all-time SFC single-event team record of seven, set by Third Coast Renegades Angling Club during the 2025 Pensacola Billfish Release Tournament. “The fishing was really good for us, we were holding the ball,” said Captain Mike King of South Florida Sails Angling Club.

“I had an area to myself for a couple days and I really couldn’t understand why the boats weren’t coming. ” 𝑪𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝒍𝒂𝒈 🇧🇸✔️ The South Florida Sails earned the climb to the top of the famous @walkers_cay gantry 🏆 #SportFishingChampionship pic. twitter.

com/Is6LPASgsp — Sport Fishing Championship (SFC) (@TheSFC_official) May 18, 2026 In December 2025, the Sport Fishing Championship announced that Simmons had purchased a controlling stake in the Sails. The former NBA player, who grew up fishing in Australia, called sportfishing an “elite sport” when the deal was announced . “I have always believed that investing in what you love means you have a responsibility to help move it forward,” Simmons said at the time.