Jonathon Calvin Simmons (born September 14, 1989) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player for the

Shanxi Loongs The Shanxi Loongs, also known as Shanxi SDIC Raptors Club or Shanxi Fenjiu Shares are a Chinese professional basketball team based in Taiyuan, Shanxi, which plays in the Northern Division of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). The Shanxi Fen ...

of the

Chinese Basketball Association The Chinese Basketball Association (), often abbreviated as the CBA, is the first-tier professional men's basketball league in China. The league is commonly known by fans as the CBA, and this acronym is even used in Chinese on a regular basis ...

(CBA). He played one season of Division I

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the

University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the List of universities in Texas by enrollment, university in Texas ...

before a stint in the semi-professional American Basketball League (ABL) led to him joining the NBA D-League's Austin Toros in 2013. After two seasons playing in the D-League, Simmons signed with the San Antonio Spurs after he impressed during the

2015 NBA Summer League The 2015 NBA Summer League consisted of three pro basketball leagues organized by the NBA: the Orlando Pro Summer League, Utah Jazz Summer League, and Las Vegas Summer League. Ten teams participated in the week-long Orlando Pro Summer League a ...

High school and college career

After earning co-Most Valuable Player honors for the district as a senior at

M. B. Smiley High School M.B. Smiley High School was a public secondary school in Houston, Texas, Houston, Texas, United States. Smiley, which served grades 9 through 12, and was a part of the North Forest Independent School District. M.B. Smiley was featured in the film ...

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

in 2007–08, Simmons spent his college freshman season in 2008–09 playing for

Paris Junior College Paris Junior College (PJC) is a public community college with three campuses in Texas: Paris, Greenville, and Sulphur Springs. The college was founded in 1924 as a campus of Paris Independent School District. Nearly 5,000 students are enrolled ...

, where he averaged 12.2 points and three rebounds per game, and earned all-conference honors. For his sophomore season, Simmons transferred to

Midland College Midland College (MC) is a public community college in Midland, Texas. It was established as an independent junior college in 1972 and held its first classes on campus in 1975. Since that time, the campus has expanded to a main campus on in Mi ...

, where he was an all-conference and all-region selection in 2009–10, after averaging 13.3 points and four rebounds per game. On November 15, 2010, Simmons signed a

National Letter of Intent National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

to play

for the

. However, he was required to sit out the 2010–11 season due to NCAA transfer regulations. As a junior at

in 2011–12, Simmons was named to the RAMADA All-College Classic All-Tournament Team and earned Conference USA Player of the Week honors on February 20, 2012. In 30 games (29 starts), he averaged 14.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. On April 12, 2012, Simmons decided to forgo his senior season and declared for the NBA draft.

Professional career

Sugar Land Legends (2013)

Despite receiving multiple pre-draft workouts with various NBA teams, Simmons went undrafted in the

2012 NBA draft The 2012 NBA draft was held on June 28, 2012, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time (2300 UTC), and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Asso ...

. In January 2013, he was selected in the first round of the inaugural American Basketball League (ABL) draft by the Sugar Land Legends, and despite an interrupted season in the ABL because of the new league's financial concerns, Simmons still averaged 36.5 points throughout 16 games.

Austin Toros/Spurs (2013–2015)

In September 2013, Simmons tried out for the

Austin Toros Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

and made the team's training camp roster. He went on to make the Toros' opening night roster, and in 44 games as a rookie in 2013–14, he averaged 9.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 steals per game. Simmons returned to Austin in 2014–15, with the team's name having changed to the Spurs. He improved his game in 2014–15 and subsequently scored a career-high 30 points against the

Bakersfield Jam Bakersfield is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Kern County. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's populat ...

on January 9, 2015. During his time in Austin, Simmons considered giving up on his basketball career, moving back home and working a 9-to-5 job to take care of his four daughters. He pushed on, however, and during his second season vaulted his way back onto the NBA radar. A move to point guard forced Simmons to see the court from a different perspective, a move that unlocked the rest of his game. He helped carry Austin to the Western Conference Finals, and in 50 games on the season, he averaged 15.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.0 steals per game, and was named to the NBA D-League All-Defensive third team.

San Antonio Spurs (2015–2017)

On June 29, 2015, Simmons was named in the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The t ...

' Summer League roster to compete in

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures rele ...

and

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

. After appearing in the Nets' first three games of the Orlando Summer League and averaging 12 points and five rebounds per game, Simmons was invited to join the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...

Summer League team in Las Vegas. He immediately parted ways with the Nets and made his debut for the Spurs on July 11 against the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

. On July 20, he scored 23 points in the Las Vegas Summer League Championship Game to help the Spurs win the title and earn himself the Championship Game MVP. Two days later, he signed with the Spurs. Simmons was inactive for San Antonio's first five games to start the 2015–16 season. He was subsequently assigned to the Austin Spurs on November 7, returning to his former team. On November 14, he was recalled by San Antonio, and made his NBA debut later that night. In eight minutes of action, he recorded two points, two rebounds, two assists and one steal in a 92–83 win over the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

. He was reassigned to Austin on November 16, and recalled again on November 18. On December 7, he had a then season-best game, scoring 14 points in 24 minutes off the bench in a 119–68 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. On January 4, he scored a then career-high 18 points in a 123–98 win over the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

. He made a name for himself in Milwaukee after Bucks fans heckled him during the game with "Who are you?" chants while Simmons was shooting free throws early on in the contest. On March 17, he was assigned to Austin to play in the D-League for the first time since November 17. He was recalled on March 19, reassigned on March 20, and recalled again on March 22. On March 26, he had a 17-point game off the bench in a loss to the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

. In the Spurs' regular season finale on April 13, Simmons scored a then career-high 19 points in a 96–91 win over the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference (NBA), Western Conferenc ...

. In July 2016, Simmons re-joined the Spurs for the

2016 NBA Summer League The 2016 NBA Summer League consisted of three pro basketball leagues organized by the National Basketball Association (NBA): the Orlando Pro Summer League, Utah Jazz Summer League, and Las Vegas Summer League. Ten teams participated in the week ...

. In the Spurs' season opener on October 25, 2016, Simmons scored a career-high 20 points in a 129–100 win over the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

. On December 30, 2016, he scored a team-high 19 points in 30 minutes off the bench in a 110–94 win over the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

. On January 25, 2017, he was named in the U.S. Team for the 2017

Rising Stars Challenge The Rising Stars Challenge is a basketball exhibition game held by the National Basketball Association (NBA) on the Friday before the annual All-Star Game as part of the All-Star Weekend. The current format to be used in 2022 includes first- and ...

. On May 11, 2017, Simmons made his first career playoff start, filling in for the injured

Kawhi Leonard Kawhi Anthony Leonard ( ; born June 29, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A two-time NBA champion, he is a five-time All-Star with three All-NBA ...

and scoring 18 points in a 114–75 win over the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

in Game 6 of their second-round series. The win advanced the Spurs to the Western Conference Finals. On June 21, 2017, the Spurs tendered a $1.6 million qualifying offer to make Simmons a restricted free agent. On July 13, 2017, the Spurs withdrew their qualifying offer.

Orlando Magic (2017–2019)

On July 15, 2017, Simmons signed a three-year, $20 million contract with the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

. On October 29, 2017, he led the Magic with 27 points off the bench on 9-of-15 shooting in a 120–113 loss to the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...

. On December 9, 2017, he scored a career-high 29 points in a 117–110 loss to the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Sou ...

. On February 6, 2018, he scored 22 of his career-high 34 points in the third quarter of the Magic's 116–98 win over the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

. Simmons' 22-point quarter was three points short of the franchise record set by

Tracy McGrady Tracy Lamar McGrady Jr. (born May 24, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player, best known for his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). McGrady is a seven-time NBA All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection, two- ...

in 2003. On March 14, 2018, he set a new career high with 35 points in a 126–117 win over the

. On December 10, 2018, Simmons scored a season-high 18 points in a 101–76 loss to the

Philadelphia 76ers (2019)

On February 7, 2019, Simmons was traded, along with a 2020 protected first-round pick (via Oklahoma City) and a 2019 second-round pick, to the

in exchange for

Markelle Fultz Markelle N'Gai Fultz (born May 29, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Washington Huskies before being selected by the Phila ...

. On June 21, 2019, Simmons was traded, along with the draft rights to

Admiral Schofield Admiral Donovhan Schofield (born March 30, 1997) is a British-American professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Tennessee Volunteers. Early life Sch ...

, to the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast D ...

in exchange for cash considerations. On July 7, 2019, the Wizards waived Simmons.

Santa Cruz Warriors (2020)

On February 25, 2020, the

Santa Cruz Warriors The Santa Cruz Warriors are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Santa Cruz, California, and are affiliated with the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors play their home games at Kaiser Permanente Arena. Prior to ...

announced that they had acquired Simmons and the returning right to Chris Walker from the

Rio Grande Valley Vipers The Rio Grande Valley Vipers are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Edinburg, Texas, and are affiliated with the Houston Rockets. The Vipers play their home games at the Bert Ogden Arena. The Vipers have won f ...

in exchange for returning rights to both

Antonius Cleveland Antonius Cleveland (born February 2, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Hapoel Eilat of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. He played college basketball at Southeast Missouri State University. Early life and high s ...

and

Jared Cunningham Jared Armon Cunningham (born May 22, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for Pieno žvaigždės Pasvalys of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL). He played college basketball for Oregon State, where he was an All-Pac-12 first ...

plus a first round draft pick in the 2020 NBA G League draft. On March 5, 2020, Simmons posted his third straight game with at least 18 points in addition to six rebounds in a loss against the

Salt Lake City Stars The Salt Lake City Stars are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Salt Lake City, Utah, and are affiliated with the Utah Jazz. As of the 2022-23 season, the Stars play in the Maverik Center in West Valley City, U ...

Liaoning Flying Leopards (2020–2021)

In late October 2020, Simmons arrived in China to join Liaoning Flying Leopards. The signing was officially announced on 1 December.

Shanxi Loongs (2021–present)

On December 15, 2021, Simmons joined

of the Chinese Basketball Association.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

, 55 , , 2 , , 14.8 , , .504 , , .383 , , .750 , , 1.7 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , .1 , , 6.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 78 , , 8 , , 17.8 , , .420 , , .294 , , .750 , , 2.1 , , 1.6 , , .6 , , .3 , , 6.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 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;",

, 41 , , 9 , , 20.6 , , .364 , , .229 , , .778 , , 2.4 , , 2.3 , , .4 , , .3 , , 6.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, 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

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , 0 , , 8.7 , , .400 , , .667 , , .500 , , 1.3 , , .7 , , .7 , , .0 , , 3.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 15 , , 4 , , 20.4 , , .456 , , .351 , , .677 , , 1.9 , , 1.9 , , .6 , , .1 , , 10.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 7 , , 0 , , 7.4 , , .333 , , .200 , , .750 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , .1 , , .0 , , 3.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center" colspan="2", Career , 25 , , 4 , , 15.4 , , .432 , , .340 , , .676 , , 1.6 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , .1 , , 7.8

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2011–12 , style="text-align:left;",

, 30 , , 29 , , 30.1 , , .512 , , .386 , , .716 , , 5.0 , , 2.2 , , .7 , , .4 , , 14.7

Personal life

Simmons is the son of LaTonya Simmons, and has a younger brother and two sisters. Simmons has four daughters.

References

External links

Jonathon Simmons
at nbadleague.com

at uhcougars.com
Jonathan Simmons' Personal over Physical GrowthSimmons takes humbling path to earn role with Spurs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simmons, Jonathon 1989 births Living people 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American sportspeople African-American basketball players American men's basketball players Austin Spurs players Austin Toros players Basketball players from Houston Houston Cougars men's basketball players Midland Chaps basketball players Orlando Magic players Paris Dragons basketball players Philadelphia 76ers players San Antonio Spurs players Santa Cruz Warriors players Shooting guards Small forwards Undrafted National Basketball Association players