Ben Simmons joins FaZe Clan as investor, announces new moniker 'FaZe Simmo'

Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons has joined FaZe Clan as an investor, the esports organisation announced on Tuesday. Simmons is the latest NBA star to team up with FaZe Clan following New Orleans Pelicans’ Josh Hart, the Miami Heat’s Meyers Leonard and the Denver Nuggets’ Jamal Murray. Celebrities like Pitbull, Offset and pro skateboarder Nyjah Huston also have significant stakes in the American esports organisation. Simmons joins FaZe under the moniker 'FaZe Simmo.' The terms of his investment were not disclosed by either party.

"My role with FaZe now goes much deeper than the initial investment,” Ben Simmons told Forbes. "I am going to bring it back to Australia and bring an international side to it. I also want to bring more kids into it.” 

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Ben Simmons joins FaZe Clan as 'FaZe Simmo'

Having been heavily into esports titles as a child, Simmons first connected with FaZe members through social media and started playing with the co-owner, Thomas “Temperrr” Oliveira. The 24-year-old NBA star soon became the ambassador for FaZe Clan, frequently donning FaZe merchandise and hanging out with clan members. Earlier this year, Ben Simmons appeared on the cover of Slam magazine alongside Faze star Temperrr.

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Ben Simmons was ruled of the NBA season after he suffered an injury to his left knee during a seeding game against the Washington Wizards in Orlando. Simmons was a big miss for the 76ers as they were knocked out of the NBA playoffs, losing the first-round series in a 4-0 clean sweep to the Boston Celtics. While Simmons expressed his disappointment after 76ers' playoff exit, the 24-year-old used his time off the court to work on his gaming skills.

This past March, while the NBA was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Simmons participated in the FaZe Clan-organised #Fight2Fund tournament, where he was joined by fellow NBA star Paul George, NFL star JuJu Smith-Schuster and other popular gamers and celebrities. The four-week-long Call of Duty tournament helped raise close to $125,000 for pandemic relief. Simmons is also known for his streaming sessions on Twitch where he usually played COD. Going by the moniker 'SimmoTheSavage,' Simmons has 45,000 followers on Twitch. Simmons has a net worth of around $75 million, according to Gossip Gist.

Founded in 2010, FaZe Clan has dedicated teams almost every esports title today. They have professional teams for Call of Duty, CS: GO, PUBG, PUBG MOBILE, Fortnite, FIFA, and most recently, Valorant. 

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(Image Credits: Ben Simmons Instagram)