Ben Simmons has ‘the power to be a revolutionary figure’ in basketball

BEN Simmons has blown America’s mind with his performances on the court — but that’s not the limit of his reach.

More than just basketball.

BEN Simmons’ on-court exploits in his rookie season in the NBA have seen the young Australian compared to Magic Johnson.

But his ability to become a transcendent figure in American sport lies not in his generational passing and court vision — or the athleticism and ball-handling that allows him to run the point at nearly seven feet in height.

No, Simmons’ lasting impact on the game could come from his willingness to be a critic of the controversial college basketball system.

As memories of his one season at Louisiana State University continue to fade in the wake of his spotlight-grabbing start in Philadelphia, Simmons is refusing to forget what he saw as a waste of time and exploitative experience.

“I think I would have learned a lot more being around professional athletes (during that year),” he told American businessman Maverick Carter on Uninterrupted.com. “Looking at it now, I don’t know what I really even learned, financially or just by being a person, at LSU. I think I learned a lot more this whole year, being in Philly and being a pro, than I did at LSU ...

“I’d have class, go lift, go to practice, and ‘Oh, Ben, you’ve got to stay and do media and the photo shoot.’ So I’d be kind of annoyed, like, ‘What am I getting out of this?’”

It’s this willingness to speak out that has Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Mike Sielski predicting a bold future for the 21-year-old from Melbourne.

“More and more, Ben Simmons is the 76ers player who could truly change the NBA,” Sielski wrote. “And his power to be a revolutionary figure is born of his mouth and mind and branding strategy as much as it is his swift and supple game ...

“The better Simmons plays this season, the more outspoken he is about this issue, the more people will wonder why he had to waste that year, and the more pressure will build ... to try to change the rule.”

Of course not everyone is happy with Simmons’ disdain for the college system, including one of his old schoolmates.

Chris Caldarera, a sports columnist for LSU’s student newspaper The Daily Reveille, posted a passionate defence of the institution and slammed Simmons’ failure to make the most of his time in Baton Rouge.

“I’m not trying to judge Simmons for his lifestyle choices. He’s free to do as he pleases. I do, however, take issue with his lack of gratitude and personal responsibility,” Caldarera wrote.

“Higher education is a privilege that some will never get the opportunity to pursue. Simmons was afforded that privilege because of his ability to put a leather ball through an iron hoop.

“Instead of showing an appreciation for the opportunity he received, he chose to bash the school that could have provided him with all the tools necessary to succeed academically had he sought out those resources.

“But it’s clear from Simmons’ juvenile comments that he was perfectly fine with using LSU solely as a stepping stone to his professional career and accomplished little to no growth as a person.

“The good news for Simmons is that he will probably make more money in a few years than I’ll make in an entire lifetime. The bad news is that there’s a life beyond playing sports, and the prime years of Simmons’s career will come and go faster than he thinks.

“If Simmons continues to spend his days transferring blame in order to disguise his own lack of effort, the amount of fulfilment he finds in life will be as dismal as his collegiate GPA.”

Chris who? (Photo by Rob Foldy/Getty Images)

But the real powers-that-be are paying attention.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said he was open to lowering the league’s minimum age back to 18. “It’s on the table,” Silver, during a June appearance on The Dan Patrick Show.

“He’s a bright young man, and he was saying, ‘I’m only here because I’m being forced to defer going to the NBA for a year.’ The NCAA tournament didn’t seem all that important to him, and it may ultimately have been a lost year in his development because he’s not fully engaged in school, and he’s not fully engaged in basketball.”

Simmons plans to keep up the pressure. “I want to do it while I’m playing,” he said. “I don’t think I want to leave it until I’m done.”