Ben Simmons Dubbed A 'Young LeBron James' By NBA Veteran

Ben Simmons is rapidly becoming one of the biggest names in the NBA.

And the sheer stature of the latest person to sing his praises just proves how far the Aussie has come in such a short space of time.

NBA veteran Dwight Howard, who recently joined Simmons' Philadelphia 76ers, labelled the guard 'a young LeBron'.

Howard links up with Sixers star duo Simmons and Joel Embiid fresh off the back of winning an NBA championship with LeBron and the Los Angeles Lakers.

"It's a very real comparison, and I've been seeing this for a couple years," Howard said.

"Ben Simmons is a young LeBron who's developing an overall game. I love the way he plays, I love how unselfish he is, and how mean he can be to other teams and that's important.

"When you have your point guard coming down, dunking on people, flexing, getting big rebounds, talking trash, doing all those things, it drives you to want to be better."

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At 34, Howard has still got a few more years left in the NBA before he finally retires.

And the man who was drafted first overall by the Orlando Magic back in 2004 clearly believes he's in a team that has the potential of winning a coveted Championship ring.

"Watching him over the years, I see it," Howard said on his new teammate Simmons.

"He has an opportunity to be one of the greatest to ever play the game.

"I'm glad I have the opportunity to actually give him some things that can help him along the way."

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But star-studded teammates aside, Howard knew where he belonged as soon as Philly came calling.

"The reason why I was so locked in on Philly is that Doc (Rivers) was the only coach who called me during this free agency process," he said.

"The first one to call me and he said 'We want you. We want you on our team.' Then Daryl (Morey) called, and I said this is where I need to be right now. This is where my journey is calling me. I was super happy that Doc called me and gave me an opportunity and I told him 'yes'."

Topics: Basketball, NBA, Los Angeles Lakers, Ben Simmons, lebron james, Australia

Max Sherry

Max Sherry is a journalist for SPORTbible Australia. After migrating Down Under from London as a teenager, he instantly fell in love with Aussie sport and its culture. From NRL to AFL, cricket to rugby — you name it, Max watches it (with a beer in hand, of course). During his time at Fox Sports, he worked in the football department covering the Premier League, A-League, Socceroos and Matildas. Born a stone's throw away from West Ham's training ground, Max is obviously a die-hard Liverpool fan.

@maxysherry