Ben Simmons Wins Sport Fishing Championship With South Florida Sails

Former NBA player Ben Simmons has won a championship in a new arena, helping his professional sport fishing team secure a major tournament victory in the Bahamas. Simmons, a controlling owner and angler for the South Florida Sails, celebrated as his team dominated the Sport Fishing Championship's Blue Marlin Open at Walkers Cay this past Sunday.

The South Florida Sails finished the three-day catch-and-release tournament with 2,925 points, nearly 1,500 points ahead of the second-place New Jersey Sea Birds. The team's performance was anchored by angler Alex Stanley, who released the season's first blue marlin on the opening day for 450 points. The Sails ultimately released a total of six blue marlins and three sailfish to secure the decisive win.

Simmons, the first overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, became a free agent after the 2024-25 NBA season and has since shifted his focus to competitive fishing. In December 2025, the Sport Fishing Championship announced he had purchased a stake in the Sails organization, which is listed on the league's website as the franchise's controlling owner. At the time of the investment, Simmons stated that fishing has been a lifelong passion. "I...