Bobby Simmons is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional
basketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player.
College career
Simmons played three years of
college basketballCollege basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
for
DePaul UniversityDePaul University is a private institution of higher education and research in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul...
. During his three seasons at DePaul, Simmons averaged 13.6 points per game, 7.5 rebounds per game and 2.2 assists per game.
Professional career
Simmons was selected in the second round (41st pick overall) of the
2001 NBA DraftThe 2001 NBA Draft took place on June 27, 2001 in New York City, New York. Kwame Brown became the first high school player drafted with the first overall pick...
by the
Seattle SuperSonicsThe Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...
. Simmons's draft rights were traded to the
Washington WizardsThe Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
for
Predrag DrobnjakPredrag "Peja" Drobnjak is a Montenegrin former professional basketball player. Drobnjak was born in Bijelo Polje, SR Montenegro, SFR Yugoslavia . During his career, he played professionally in the NBA.-Pro career:Drobnjak was a second-round draft choice of the Washington Bullets in the 1997 NBA...
on June 27, 2001.
Simmons was traded by the Wizards on September 11, 2002, shortly before the start of the 2002–03 NBA season, to the
Detroit PistonsThe Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
with
Hubert Davis and
Richard HamiltonRichard "Rip" Hamilton is an American basketball player who currently plays for the Detroit Pistons. Hamilton is 6'7" tall, weighs 193 lbs , and plays shooting guard. He currently is the Pistons' team captain....
for
Jerry StackhouseJerry Darnell Stackhouse is an American professional basketball player who plays both shooting guard and small forward. He most recently played for the Miami Heat. He is now an NBA TV analyst but remains as an eligible free agent....
,
Brian CardinalBrian Lee Cardinal , nicknamed "The Custodian" or "The Janitor", is an American professional basketball player. Prior to being drafted to the NBA, Cardinal played college basketball at Purdue University.-1991–1995:...
, and
Ratko VardaRatko Varda is a professional basketball player. He is a 2.13 m center who plays for Union Olimpija.-Career:...
. He was released by the Pistons on September 24 and, less than two weeks later, signed with the Wizards again on October 10. Later, Simmons signed a free-agent contract with the
Los Angeles ClippersThe Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
on September 26, 2003.
The 6'6", 228 lb small forward had a
breakout yearContract year phenomenon is a term used in North American sports to describe the occurrence when athletes perform at a very high level in the season prior to their free agency eligibility...
during the 2004–05 NBA season with the Los Angeles Clippers in which he averaged a career-high 16.4 points per game. He was rewarded for his stellar play with the
NBA Most Improved Player AwardThe National Basketball Association's Most Improved Player Award is an annual National Basketball Association award given since the 1985–86 NBA season, to the most improved player of the regular season. The winner is selected by a panel of sportswriters throughout the United States and Canada,...
.
He signed a free-agent contract with the
Milwaukee BucksThe Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....
on August 8, 2005, shortly after the new collective bargaining agreement was finalized. Since his breakout year with the Clippers, Simmons has struggled to reach the same level of play. In his first year with the Bucks, his points, rebounds and shooting percentages all declined. Then in 2006, an ankle injury forced him to miss the entire 2006–07 season.
Bobby Simmons was traded along with
Yi JianlianYi Jianlian is a Chinese professional basketball player for the Guangdong Southern Tigers. He has also played in the NBA for the Milwaukee Bucks, New Jersey Nets, and Washington Wizards. Yi played power forward for the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association in 2002 and...
to The
New Jersey NetsThe New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
for
Richard JeffersonRichard Allen Jefferson is a 6 ft 7 in American professional basketball player currently playing for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association...
on June 26, 2008, just a few hours before
that year's NBA DraftThe 2008 NBA Draft was held on June 26, 2008 at the Washington Mutual Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, including...
. While his season was not as productive as he personally would have liked, he still managed to finish 5th in the league in 3 point shooting percentage.
In 2010, Simmons signed with the
San Antonio SpursThe San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
. He was waived by the Spurs in November 2010.
In March 2011, Simmons signed with the Reno Bighorns of the NBA D-League.
Personal life
Simmons co-owns a clothing boutique in Chicago called "Succezz"; it is the only boutique in the city that allows the consumer to build their own shoe. He is an official member of
NikeNike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
's
Jordan brandAir Jordan, also known simply as Jordans, are a brand of shoes and athletic apparel produced by Nike originally designed for and endorsed by NBA Hall of Famer and Six Time NBA Champion Michael Jordan. The Air Jordan line is now sold by the Jordan Brand subsidiary of Nike...
.
Regular season
|-
| align="left" | 2001–02
| align="left" |
WashingtonThe Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
| 30 || 3 || 11.4 || .453 || .286 || .733 || 1.7 || .6 || .4 || .2 || 3.7
|-
| align="left" | 2002–03
| align="left" | Washington
| 36 || 2 || 10.5 || .393 || .000 ||
.914 || 2.1 || .6 || .3 || .1 || 3.3
|-
| align="left" | 2003–04
| align="left" |
L.A. ClippersThe Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
| 56 || 8 || 24.6 || .394 || .167 || .834 || 4.7 || 1.7 || .9 ||
.3 || 7.8
|-
| align="left" | 2004–05
| align="left" | L.A. Clippers
|
75 ||
74 ||
37.3 ||
.466 || .435 || .846 ||
5.9 ||
2.7 ||
1.4 || .2 ||
16.4
|-
| align="left" | 2005–06
| align="left" |
MilwaukeeThe Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....
|
75 ||
74 || 33.8 || .453 || .420 || .825 || 4.4 || 2.3 || 1.1 ||
.3 || 13.4
|-
| align="left" | 2007–08
| align="left" | Milwaukee
| 70 || 21 || 21.7 || .421 || .351 || .757 || 3.2 || 1.1 || .7 || .1 || 7.6
|-
| align="left" |
2008–09The 2008–09 NBA season was the 63rd season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 28, 2008, and ended on Wednesday, April 15, 2009...
| align="left" |
New JerseyThe New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
| 71 || 44 || 24.4 || .449 ||
.447 || .741 || 3.9 || 1.3 || .7 || .1 || 7.8
|-
| align="left" |
2009–10The 2009–10 NBA season was the 64th season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, and ended on Wednesday, April 14, 2010....
| align="left" |
New JerseyThe New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
| 23 || 2 || 17.2 || .359 || .317 || .900 || 2.7 || .7 || .6 || .1 || 5.3
|-
| align="left" |
2010–11The 2010–11 NBA season was the 65th season of the National Basketball Association . The 2011 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 20, 2011 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in six games, 4 games to 2, to win their first NBA title, and...
| align="left" |
San AntonioThe San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
| 2 || 0 || 8.0 || .000 || .000 || .000 || 0.0 || 1.0 || .0 || .0 || 0.0
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 438 || 228 || 25.3 || .440 || .400 || .825 || 4.0 || 1.6 || .9 || .2 || 9.4
Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |
2005–06The 2006 NBA Playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2005–06 season. The Miami Heat won the first championship in the history of the franchise by defeating the Dallas Mavericks 4-2 in the 2006 NBA Finals...
| align="left" |
MilwaukeeThe Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....
| 5 || 5 || 31.8 || .333 || .417 || .000 || 3.6 || 2.0 || 1.8 || .2 || 6.6
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 5 || 5 || 31.8 || .333 || .417 || .000 || 3.6 || 2.0 || 1.8 || .2 || 6.6
External links