体坛英语新闻：76ers agree to contract extension with All-Star guard Simmons

WASHINGTON, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Philadelphia 76ers General Manager Elton Brand announced on Tuesday that the team and Ben Simmons have agreed to a contract extension which will keep Simmons through the 2024-25 campaign.

"Ben Simmons is an important piece of our core and he is one of the NBA's most dynamic and talented young players," Brand said. "It was a priority for our organization that we finalize a contract extension with Ben this summer."

"He was Rookie of the Year in his first season, an All-Star in his second and we expect him to continue grow and succeed for seasons to come. Ben positively impacts the game in so many ways and we look forward to continuing our championship pursuits with him as one of our leaders," he added.

This past season, Simmons averaged career highs in points (16.9) and rebounds (8.8) to go along with 7.7 assists (sixth in the NBA) per game en route to his first career All-Star Game selection.

For his career, Simmons has appeared in 160 games (all starts) over two seasons with Philadelphia, posting 16.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, 7.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game.