The Potawatomi Fire have re-signed Jachai Simmons for The Basketball League’s upcoming 2025 season.
Simmons, a 6-8 wing originally from Plainfield, New Jersey, is back with the Fire for the second consecutive year. A proven scorer, Simmons showed his all-around game last year and led the Fire in blocks (25) over the course of the season.
“Jachai is a wonderful guy and was a key player for us last year,” said Fire General Manager David Qualls. “He’s such a fun player to watch and always seems to make plays that gets the fans out of their seats. He’s always smiling, and you can tell he loves to play. I think that shows up on the court and energizes our fans. We are excited to have Jachai back with Fire and look forward to more of those highlight plays.”
“Jachai made a significant impact on our team on both offense and defense last season,” said Fire head coach, and two-time TBL Coach of the Year, Mark Dannhoff. “Jachai transformed our team dynamic. His athleticism, versatility, and scoring ability from all levels was crucial for us. Jachai’s character, selflessness, and willingness to do whatever we need makes him an ideal player for the Fire and I’m excited to have him back. I know he will be a big key to any success we have this season.”
Last year, Simmons was one of only two players (along with Chuck Guy) to play in, and start, all 27 games. He averaged 12.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game. He shot 44.5% from the field, hit 29.8% from three-point range, and knocked down 83.3% of his free throws. He also made 33 of his last 34 free throws, including all 15 of his free throws in the postseason.
This will be Simmons’ fourth season in TBL. He previously played for the Atlantic City Gambits in 2022, where he was named an All-TBL 2nd Team player, All-Eastern Conference 1st Team player, and a TBL All-Star. In 2023, Simmons played for the Wichita Skykings. Prior to playing in TBL, Simmons played collegiately at University of New Mexico and Midland Junior College.
The Fire will begin their 2025 TBL season in late February or early March. Individual game tickets and season tickets will be on sale soon.
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ABOUT THE POTAWATOMI FIRE
The Potawatomi Fire are the first professional basketball team owned by a Native American tribe (Citizen Potawatomi Nation) in Oklahoma. The Fire compete in the Central Conference of The Basketball League (TBL), a men’s professional basketball league, with roughly 40 teams across the U.S. and Canada. The Fire play their home games at FireLake Arena in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
Through their first three years, the Fire have established themselves as the premier franchise in TBL. Along with winning the TBL championship in 2023 and 2024, the Fire organization was named the 2022 winner of the Jim Koch Award as TBL’s Best Ran Business. The dance team of the Fire, the Fire Girls, were named TBL’s 2022 Best Dance Team and Central Conference Best Dance Team in 2023 and 2024.