Ben Simmons named NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week

Ben Simmons has been named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played between Monday, February 25 and Sunday, March 3.

This is the second time in Simmons’ two-year career that he has received the award and first since April 2018. With Joel Embiid named Player of the Week in early January, Philadelphia becomes the fourth team in the NBA this season to have multiple players receive the accolade.

Simmons led the Sixers to a 2-1 record last week, including away victories over Western Conference opponents, New Orleans and Oklahoma City. The Australian averaged 16.7 points, 13.3 rebounds, 8.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per game, while shooting 55% from the field. He is one of two players in the NBA this season to hold these averages over a single week.

Simmons joins Embiid and Andre Miller, along with Hall of Famers Allen Iverson, Charles Barkley, Julius Erving and Moses Malone as the only Sixers players to receive the award multiple times since its inception in 1979-80.

Simmons closed out the week with his second consecutive triple-double and tenth of the season with 25 points, 15 rebounds, 11 assists and three steals against Golden State. He is the only player in the NBA this season to record such a statistical line in a single game and is the first Eastern Conference player to post a triple-double against the Warriors this season.

Overall, Simmons is averaging 17.0 points, 9.1 rebounds, 7.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He joins Denver’s Nikola Jokić and Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook as the only players in the league averaging at least 17 points, nine rebounds and seven assists per game.

Simmons and the Sixers return to action tomorrow against the Orlando Magic.