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Jonathon Simmons

From Alfawiki
Jonathon Simmons
Born (1989-09-14) September 14, 1989 (age 37)
Houston, Texas, U.S.
OccupationProfessional basketball player
Years active2013–present
Known forPlaying for San Antonio Spurs, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, and Al Riyadi

Jonathon Calvin Simmons (born September 14, 1989) is a professional basketball athlete from the United States currently playing for Al Riyadi in the Lebanese Basketball League. After spending one season with the Houston Cougars, Simmons competed in the semi-professional American Basketball League (ABL) prior to joining the NBA Development League's Austin Toros in 2013. Following two seasons there, he earned a contract with the San Antonio Spurs after an impressive performance during the 2015 NBA Summer League.

High school and college career

During his senior year at M. B. Smiley High School in Houston (2007–08), Simmons was honored as co-Most Valuable Player. He commenced his collegiate basketball journey at Paris Junior College, where he averaged 12.2 points and three rebounds per game, securing all-conference recognition in the 2008–09 season. Subsequently, he transferred to Midland College, earning both all-conference and all-region accolades in 2009–10 while posting averages of 13.3 points and four rebounds per contest.

On November 15, 2010, Simmons signed a National Letter of Intent to join the University of Houston, sitting out the 2010–11 season due to NCAA transfer regulations. In his junior year (2011–12), he was selected for the RAMADA All-College Classic All-Tournament Team and received Conference USA Player of the Week honors on February 20, finishing the season with averages of 14.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.2 assists across 30 games (29 starts).

Simmons declared for the NBA draft on April 12, 2012, foregoing his final year of college eligibility.

Sugar Land Legends (2013)

Although Simmons went undrafted in the 2012 NBA draft despite participating in several pre-draft workouts, he was picked in the first round of the inaugural American Basketball League draft by the Sugar Land Legends in January 2013. Despite financial difficulties that disrupted the league's season, he managed an impressive scoring average of 36.5 points over 16 games.

Austin Toros/Spurs (2013–2015)

In September 2013, Simmons secured a spot on the training camp roster for the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League. He made the team’s opening night roster and as a rookie averaged 9.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and one steal over 44 appearances.

Returning to Austin for the 2014–15 season—by then renamed the Spurs—Simmons showed marked improvement, achieving a career-high 30 points against the Bakersfield Jam on January 9, 2015. Despite personal challenges including considering leaving basketball to provide for his four daughters through conventional employment, he remained committed. His transition to playing point guard expanded his court awareness and overall skill set. Contributing significantly to Austin’s run to the Western Conference Finals, Simmons averaged 15.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and one steal across 50 games and earned a place on the NBA D-League All-Defensive third team.

San Antonio Spurs (2015–2017)

On June 29, 2015, Simmons participated with the Brooklyn Nets' Summer League squad in Orlando and Las Vegas. After averaging 12 points and five rebounds during Orlando play, he joined the San Antonio Spurs Summer League roster in Las Vegas, debuting on July 11 against the New York Knicks. On July 20, he tallied 23 points in the Summer League Championship Game, securing MVP honors and aiding San Antonio’s title victory. Two days later, Simmons inked a two-year contract with the Spurs.

Simmons began the 2015–16 season inactive for San Antonio’s first five games before being assigned to their D-League affiliate Austin Spurs on November 7. He was recalled on November 14 and made his NBA debut that night by contributing two points, two rebounds, and two assists in eight minutes during a win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Throughout that season, Simmons alternated between Austin and San Antonio multiple times. Highlights included a then career-high of 18 points against the Milwaukee Bucks on January 4, 2016—a game where Bucks fans heckled him with chants of "Who are you?". He concluded that regular season with a new personal best of 19 points on April 13 during a victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

Simmons returned to play for San Antonio’s Summer League team in July 2016. On October 25 of that year, he set another career high with a 20-point effort during a season-opening win against the Golden State Warriors. He continued providing valuable bench contributions including leading his team with 19 points against the Portland Trail Blazers on December 30. In January 2017, Simmons was selected to represent Team USA at the Rising Stars Challenge. On May 11, he started his first playoff game replacing injured star player Kawhi Leonard, scoring 18 points in a decisive victory over the Houston Rockets that propelled San Antonio into the Western Conference Finals.

On June 21, 2017, San Antonio extended a $1.6 million qualifying offer to retain Simmons as a restricted free agent but rescinded it on July 13, rendering him an unrestricted free agent.

Orlando Magic (2017–2019)

On July 15, 2017, Simmons agreed to a three-year deal worth $20 million with the Orlando Magic. Coming off the bench on October 29, 2017, he led the team by scoring 27 points in a 120–113 defeat against the Charlotte Hornets. He achieved a personal best of 29 points on December 9, 2017, during a 117–110 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. On February 6, 2018, Simmons tallied a career-high 34 points, including 22 in the third quarter alone, contributing to a 116–98 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, approaching the franchise record for points scored in a single quarter. Later, on March 14, 2018, he surpassed his previous mark by scoring 35 points in a 126–117 win against the Milwaukee Bucks.

During the following season, on December 10, 2018, Simmons recorded his highest point total of the campaign with 18 points in a 101–76 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

Philadelphia 76ers (2019)

Simmons was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers on February 7, 2019, along with draft selections in exchange for Markelle Fultz.

Subsequently, on June 21, 2019, he was traded to the Washington Wizards together with draft rights to Admiral Schofield for cash considerations. The Wizards released him on July 7, 2019.

Santa Cruz Warriors (2020)

On February 25, 2020, the Santa Cruz Warriors acquired Simmons and reacquired rights to Chris Walker from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. This transaction involved exchanging rights to Antonius Cleveland and Jared Cunningham, plus a first-round pick in the 2020 NBA G League draft. On March 5, Simmons posted his third straight game with at least 18 points and six rebounds during a defeat to the Salt Lake City Stars.

Overseas

In late October of 2020, Simmons signed with the Liaoning Flying Leopards in China; this signing was officially confirmed on December 1.

On December 15, 2021, he inked a contract with the Shanxi Loongs of the Chinese Basketball Association.

By December 2022, Simmons joined the NLEX Road Warriors of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) as their import player for the 2023 PBA Governors' Cup. After participating in four games, he departed for China to pursue a more financially rewarding contract and was succeeded by Wayne Selden Jr..

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| San Antonio | 55 || 2 || 14.8 || .504 || .383 || .750 || 1.7 || 1.1 || .4 || .1 || 6.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| San Antonio | 78 || 8 || 17.8 || .420 || .294 || .750 || 2.1 || 1.6 || .6 || .3 || 6.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Orlando | 69 || 50 || 29.4 || .465 || .338 || .768 || 3.5 || 2.5 || .8 || .2 || 13.9 |- | style="text-align:left" rowspan="2"| | style="text-align:left;"| Orlando | 41 || 9 || 20.6 || .364 || .229 || .778 || 2.4 || 2.3 || .4 || .3 || 6.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 15 || 0 || 14.6 || .453 || .429 || .640 || 1.7 || 2.2 || .7 || .1 || 5.5 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center" colspan="2"| Career | 258 || 69 || 20.5 || .443 || .317 || .756 || 2.4 || 1.9 || .6 || .2 || 8.3

Playoff Performance

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2016 | style="text-align:left;"| San Antonio | 3 || 0 || 8.7 || .400 || .667 || .500 || 1.3 || 0.7 || 0.7 || 0.0 || 3.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2017 | style="text-align:left;"| San Antonio | 15 || 4 || 20.4 || .456 || .351 || .677 || 1.9 || 1.9 || 0.6 || 0.1 || 10.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2019 | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 7 || 0 || 7.4 || .333 || .200 || .750 || 1.3 || 0.3 || 0.1 || 0 || 3.6 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center" colspan="2"| Overall Playoff Career | 25 || 4 || 15.4 || .432 || .340 || .676 || 1.6 || 1.3 || 0.5 || 0.1 || 7.8


College Career

|- | style="text-align:left;" | 2011–12 | style="text-align:left;" | Houston | 30 || 29 || 30.1 || .512 || .386 || .716 || 5.0 || 2.2 || 0.7 || 0.4 || 14.7


Personal Background

Simmons is the son of LaTonya Simmons and has three siblings: a younger brother and two sisters. He is also a father to four daughters.

External links

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