Brand Ben Simmons set to be Australia’s biggest

Big brand. Big numbers. Big Ben Simmons is worth $US70 million before he even steps into the big bad world of the NBA.

Ben Simmons has the sporting world in his hands

Big brand. Big numbers. Big earnings. Big Ben Simmons is worth $US70 million ($89.3m) before he even steps into the big bad world of the NBA in Nike shoes he’s paid $US12 million to wear for a Philadelphia 76ers franchise paying him $US6,168,840, to be precise, for a big allotment of his time.

How big is Big Ben? Bigger than any Australian athlete in the big, wide beautiful world of sport if everything goes to plan. Bigger than Jason Day and Adam Scott put together. Bigger than Tim Cahill and Nick Kyrgios to the nth degree. Bigger than Sally Pearson and Jeff Horn to a ridiculous degree. Big Ben could become bigger than the biggest cricketers and footballers thrown together. How big’s this big?

As big as it gets.

“The future is incredibly bright for him,” ESPN commentator and former NBA All Star Mark Jackson said yesterday. “What he does on the basketball floor, how he impacts the game, his potential of impacting the game in a variety of ways, to me he could be the next superstar. It’s about individual success and team success.

“They (the 76ers) have got great young talent and the main thing for him is staying healthy. We know what he can do when he’s healthy. I think he has superstar written all over him.”

Big pay packet. But in the mega-rich world of the NBA, Simmons could ask his teammates if they could spare a dime. He’s only the 168th-highest paid player in the NBA. The list is topped by the Golden State Warriors’ Steph Curry on $US34,682,550 a season. Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James is on $US33,285,709.

There are 62 NBA forwards with bigger contracts than Simmons. Four of his Philly teammates pull bigger money: JJ Redick is on $US23m a year. The 213cm (seven feet) Joel Embiid has signed a four-year deal worth $US125m.

Big bodies mean big chances. According to Sports Illustrated, any American male who’s seven feet tall has a 17 per cent chance of playing NBA.

Big athletes, bigger brands.