Lionel Simmons: He had One of the GREATEST NCAA CAREERS EVER... Yet Retired from the NBA at 28 | FPP

He’s one of the best basketball players to ever come out of Philadelphia, a 4 year superstar at La Salle who dominated from the day he stepped onto campus. Lionel Simmons is a name that doesn’t come up often when talking NBA basketball, but when talking about the best players in NCAA history, his name can’t be left out. He spent 4 years with the Explorers becoming one of the greatest scorers and rebounders in the history of College Basketball. His incredible play would see him become a lottery pick in the 1990 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings. He would have a great rookie year, finishing second to Derrick Coleman in Rookie of the Year voting, and then the following year the Kings would acquire Mitch Richmond from the Golden State Warriors. So, it looked like Sacramento was set to turn over a new leaf with their skilled duo. But things never seemed to come together, while Simmons was a great all around player, he was more of a complimentary option in the NBA, compared to being the focal point in college. But that could have worked, yet after just a few years, Lionel Simmons knee started to fail him, and at a time where he should have been entering his prime, he was instead watching his career being taken from him; until his knee would force him into retirement before his 29th birthday. It’s unfortunate that his career ended the way it did, and while he may not have ever reached the levels he did in college, the L-Train had so much great basketball left in him, which fans never got to see.

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