Simmons up to inspiring nation

DUAL NBA champion Chris Bosh says star Australian rookie Ben Simmons has the weight of a nation on his shoulders - but they’re broad enough to carry the load.

Bosh said that after just 26 NBA games with the Philadelphia 76ers, the 21-year-old was already the face of Australian basketball. “He’s going out there and being a model for kids in Australia that want to play basketball,” Bosh said. “They have a guy that’s (inspiring them to think) ‘not only can I make the NBA, I can be a superstar in the NBA, I can be a star, I can lead a team from a bad record to a good record, I can be a franchise player’.

“He’s got the weight of the country on his back, but I think he’s one of those guys that can handle it.”

Simmons was kept quiet yesterday but Philadelphia topped the Timberwolves 118-112 in overtime.

Cleveland superstar LeBron James has already anointed Simmons as the next big thing in basketball and Bosh — a teammate of the King during two NBA championship runs with Miami Heat - says it’s up to the Melbourne-born star to fulfil James’ prediction.

“LeBron said recently he (Simmons) can be better — I don’t know if that’s possible, but it’s on Ben to make it a reality,” Bosh said.

“Right now, he seems to be on the right track. “It’s not going to be an easy road for him and as long as he knows that, he can go out there and perform and do whatever it takes for him to achieve that greatness. It’ll be a great time just watching him.”

Bosh, who played with the Toronto Raptors and Heat across 13 seasons, before blood clots forced him from the court, believes Simmons is reinventing the way basketball is played is James did when he came into the league in 2003.