On the day LeBron James was having his victory parade in Cleveland, Ben Simmons spoke with me in a Manhattan hotel about anticipating his championship moment. That moment came at the N.B.A. draft a day later when Simmons, a 19-year-old who is coming off a single season at Louisiana State, was selected No. 1 by the Philadelphia 76ers.  “It’s kind of surreal right now,” Simmons said. “It probably won’t hit me until I’m in the city, I’m actually part of the organization.”  On Thursday night, it hit him. “It honestly feels like all the pressure just has hopped off me,” Simmons said. “Now I can relax. I know where I’m going to be. I know where I’m headed.”  Simmons epitomizes the rare gem produced on the supply side of the basketball industry. At 6 feet 10 inches, he is a versatile player at home anywhere on the floor.  Born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, Simmons pushed his parents to send him to the United States after looking at YouTube clips, studying rankings and looking at his high school competition.  “Part of it was him saying, ‘I’m ready,’” his father, David, recalled.  In 2013, Simmons moved to Florida and enrolled at Montverde Academy, which he led to three straight high school national championships.  During the recruiting process, Simmons rejected the idea that a top player should naturally attend one of the most successful big-time programs. He said no to Kentucky and no to Duke. Instead he went to L.S.U., where his godfather, David Patrick, was the associate head coach. Patrick is now an assistant at Texas Christian.  “The point for me was going to a school that didn’t have a rich basketball history like a Kentucky or a Duke,” Simmons said. “I knew it was going to be hard. I like a challenge. I accepted that.”  L.S.U. severely underachieved. There were injuries and problems with team chemistry issues. The Tigers did not make the N.C.A.A. tournament and elected not to participate in the National Invitation Tournament.  “It was tough, because I’ve never been on a losing team,” Simmons said.  But having ended up on one — and having shouldered the blame for the team’s failures — will help Simmons in his transition to the N.B.A. if he does not get off to a flying start.  “The experience at L.S.U. helped me understand that things are not always going to be perfect,” he said. “I was getting all of that thrown on me, but I had to deal with it, and it came with the territory.”  Simmons signed last March with Klutch Sports. The agency’s highest-profile client is James, the top draft pick at 18 years old in 2003, who Simmons says has become a friend and a mentor. They talk frequently, discussing topics like footwork and how Simmons’s life is about to dramatically change.  “I’ve learned a lot just being around LeBron,” Simmons said. “People say things about him all the time, but he would never say anything back. That’s what I learned from him: Don’t retaliate to articles or pieces or to things that are said about me.”  Simmons is the subject of a documentary, “One and Done,” scheduled to appear on Showtime in October. The film explores Simmons’s journey from Australia to Florida to L.S.U. to the N.B.A. It illustrates the global system that delivers players to college programs in the United States.  “I think it’s great because you’re watching somebody go from high school to the N.B.A., and you see what’s actually happening,” Simmons said. “I want people to understand it’s not all about the money, cars and things like that. A lot of different things go into this.”  The underlying question the film examines is whether the most talented high school athletes should be forced to spend a “sham year” in college or play professionally outside the United States rather than having the opportunity to go straight to the N.B.A.  “I look at the N.B.A. as a job, a great job to have, so I think for me, I would have loved the opportunity to go to the N.B.A. out of high school,” Simmons said. “If you’re not ready, you’re not ready. If you are ready, I think you should be able top to go.”  He added: “I enjoyed my time at L.S.U. I wouldn’t change it for anything. My dad went to college — my sisters, brothers — so I felt like I just had to, and I enjoyed it.”  Simmons is the youngest of six children. His father, David, was born and raised in the South Bronx; his mother, Julie, is from Australia.  David Simmons played college basketball at Oklahoma City University and spent his professional career in South America and finally in Australia, where he met and married Julie.  “I never would have imagined any of this,” David Simmons said. “There was no plan for this. All of our kids were treated the same. They were all coached the same way. Ben just happened to be the kid who turned out to be 6-10 with the same skills they all had.”  Because of his high profile, his extraordinary skills and the desperation of the team that makes him their first selection, Simmons may have a shorter-than-usual honeymoon.  In the era of social media, anyone can text a good game. Anyone can Facebook or Snapchat a good game. But at some point, you have to play a good game — especially if you are a high-profile rookie in championship-starved Philadelphia.  “I’ll have time to mature and develop, and one day, hopefully, I can bring a ring to wherever I am,” Simmons said.  He smiled. “LeBron did it,” Simmons said.  I reminded him that James had left Cleveland, then returned.  “I think it had to happen,” Simmons said. “It helped him mature his game, understand how to be a better player, teammate and leader. He came back to Cleveland knowing how to win a championship.”  Impressive insight from a 19-year-old who will have to remind a forlorn franchise what winning looks like.  A version of this article appears in print on June 24, 2016, on page B11 of the New York edition with the headline: Top Pick Sees James as His Role Model. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe
Simmons had to spend a year in college before becoming draft eligible but has still learned valuable lessons from James, who joined the league straight out of high school.