🏆 From Berlin to the NBA: The Hidden Force Behind NBA Greatness

Simon Iden is a Private Physical Therapy and Osteopath Consultant for professional athletes, currently based in Indianapolis. He has worked with top talent across the NBA, including Pascal Siakam, Lauri Markkanen, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Bennedict Mathurin, Khris Middleton, and Daniel Theis. Originally from Berlin, Germany, Simons path to working with some of basketball’s stars started with a love of the game, a knee injury, and relentless persistence.

From Berlin Courts to the NBA

Simon grew up playing basketball at a high level in Berlin, balancing the sport with an early interest in medicine sparked by his parents, who were both nurses. "I had this delusional thought in my head that I would study medicine one day...but I was never really born to just study," he says. Instead, he combined his love of movement and anatomy by enrolling in PT school while still chasing a basketball career.

A devastating knee injury shifted his focus fully to physical therapy, and he quickly found opportunities working with water polo athletes and youth basketball players at his old club. That experience led him from junior national basketball teams, to Germany's youth soccer teams, to the professional tennis tour where he worked with Grand Slam winners.

Breaking Through in America

Simon's break into the NBA came almost by chance when a former German national team player he knew from youth basketball called him during a difficult rookie season. "I just flew over to Chicago back then to help him," Simon says. That introduction led to working with Lauri Markkanen full-time in 2019, just months before COVID shut the world down. Alone in the U.S. with immigration restrictions, no established business structure, and an uncertain future, Simon stayed relentless in his pursuit.

"The first three years were really rough," he says. He kept going, working with Daniel Theis as he moved from Boston to Houston to Indiana, sleeping in guest rooms, training wherever he could find space, and learning the differences in style and culture between European and American basketball. Over time, Simon built his reputation among players and agents, eventually earning trust with Andrew Nembhard, Pascal Siakam, Aaron Nesmith, Bennedict Mathurin, and eventually Khris Middleton.

Lessons in Discipline and Resilience

Simon sees clear patterns among the successful people he’s worked with: discipline, persistence, and resilience. "You’ve got to be resilient," he says. "Those three things are always found across the board in successful individuals." He tries to bring the same consistency to his own craft: staying current on innovations in movement therapy and recovery science.

From the beginning, Simon has always carried a level of confidence. "Looking back, I thought I knew it all," he says. "Sometimes being a little bit more humble...might have been helpful." But he wouldn't change the drive. "I never really gave myself a plan B," he says. "So that confidence worked for me in a lot of ways as well."

Simon’s motivation is simple: "Seeing athletes thrive...not being held back physically by anything. That's really what motivates me." His favorite career moment? Helping Germany win the Basketball World Cup in 2023. "Growing up, soccer in Germany is the number one sport," he says. "Bringing awareness to basketball and potentially influencing some kids back home, that was probably one of the most meaningful moments."

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