Getty Sixers All-Star Ben Simmons is scared to play in front of Philly fans, according to a new report.
Ben Simmons might be in a different area code, but he’s still hogging data plans up and down the East Coast. As the assembled Philadelphia media waited for James Harden to show up for his Sixers’ press conference on Tuesday, the huddled masses had the volume turned up on Simmons’ presser in Brooklyn.
Everyone wanted to see if the disgruntled point guard would acknowledge Joel Embiid or explain the curious circumstances around his exit. They also were hoping for an update on when he might make his season debut. The Nets pay a visit to Philly on March 10 in a game already circled on many people’s calendars. Would Simmons dare suit up and show his face at Wells Fargo Center?
“I hope so,” Simmons said when asked about it. He hasn’t played since that ill-fated playoff game on June 20, 2021. And the non-dunk heard ’round the world.
Will Ben be ready for March 10 in Philly? 👀
Simmons’ answer was shocking considering the way things ended. He refused to play for the Sixers, with reports citing everything from mental health issues to a fear of being booed. The young Aussie was vilified for being soft, moody, and petulant – especially after he sulked at practice and got kicked out. According to Simmons, there were some “dark times” over the last six months.
“People are going to say what they want,” Simmons told reporters, via Nets Videos. “For me it wasn’t, that was never, the mental health has nothing to do with it. Just a trade. It was a bunch of things that I was dealing with as a person in my personal life that I don’t really want to go into depth with. But I’m here now.”
Ben Simmons addresses those that may be skeptical about his mental health:
“They should be happy I’m smiling. I’ve had some dark times over the last 6 months.”
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NBA Commissioner Enters Simmons-Harden Debate
Star players have been forcing trades in the NBA for a long time. When situations grow tiresome or losing sets in, it’s time for a change of scenery. The Simmons-Harden swap didn’t happen in a vacuum, nor did it happen overnight. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver told Yahoo! Sports that it’s important to understand the context, although he didn’t necessarily like the very public way everything went down.
“The last thing you want to see is for these issues to play out publicly,” Silver told Vincent Goodwill. “One of the things that I continue to do in my role is to think about ways we can improve the system.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver talks to @YahooSports, understands James Harden-Ben Simmons trade request, “But this is not the way I would have liked to see it happen.”
Silver was glued to the Simmons and Harden press conferences and walked away disappointed.
“These are human beings, who, in both cases, have gone through very stressful situations,” Silver told Goodwill. “But this is not the way I would have liked to see it happen.”
Harden Admits Players ‘Control Own Destiny’
Harden just joined his third different team in 14 months. That could be a major turn-off if the league didn’t seem to encourage guys from jumping ship at will. The days of a Kobe Bryant spending 20 years with the same franchise are gone. It’s a sad truth not lost on Harden who was quick to defend his situations in Houston and Brooklyn.
James Harden says basketball stars “can control their own destiny, for the most part.” He believes his relationships with Daryl Morey, Doc Rivers, Josh Harris make this the perfect fit. No more trade requests. #Sixers #HereTheyCome
“Just the relationship I had in Houston it was basically mutual, but everything was on me. And the same in the last situation [in Brooklyn],” Harden said. “For the most part we can control our own destiny, not that I’m saying that’s a good thing or a bad thing. I know in my situation, for whatever reason, it was mutual.”
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Nets’ Newbie Ben Simmons Hints at Surprising Philly Return