Ben Simmons was heckled by a fan following the Brooklyn Nets’ 116-101 loss to the Orlando Magic on Friday and Dennis Schroder promptly came to his defense. As Simmons made his way to the locker room at Kia Center, a fan called him “trash,” which led to a tense exchange.
Fan: “You’re trash.”
Ben Simmons: “Why didn’t you say it when I was there p****?”
While Simmons, who had walked past that section by the time the comment was made, didn’t bother confronting the fan head-on, Schroder felt the need to do so.
Dennis Schroder: “Who talking s*** to Ben?”
Dennis Schroder defending Ben Simmons after a fan called him trash
Respect (via @LL2123w) pic.twitter.com/N5TlNESFM0
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) October 26, 2024
Things sure got ugly there. Fortunately, security intervened before the situation escalated too much to the point where someone ended up in serious trouble.
While some on social media have bizarrely criticized Schroder and Nets players for reacting in this manner to some trash talk, I don’t have any issue with their actions. Nets Daily on X also explained why they were so angry about what had happened.
“Told by a witness that what pissed off Schroder and other Nets players was that the fan waited till Simmons was 10 steps beyond him before calling him trash.”
I do feel it was rather cowardly to make that comment after Simmons had walked past. The fan clearly thought he would get away with it by doing so but Schroder ensured he didn’t. I applaud him for sticking up for his teammate.
It seems like we are seeing more and more heckling from fans nowadays and I think social media plays a role in that. People can get away with saying whatever they want to players online and when you’re so used to doing it, you sometimes cross that line in person too.
As for the action on the court, Schroder had 20 points, one rebound, six assists, and one steal on the night. Simmons, meanwhile, put up seven points, six rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block as the Nets dropped to 0-2 on the season.
Bill Simmons Thinks Ben Simmons Could Be A Valuable Asset
Simmons’ stock is at an all-time low at the moment, as he has barely featured in the last couple of years due to injury. He hasn’t impressed when he has stepped out on the court either, but one notable NBA analyst thinks he could be a valuable asset. Bill Simmons made some interesting comments about Ben on The Bill Simmons Podcast.
“I think he has a chance to become one of the most fascinating February buyout guys in a few years because he could be the center in New Orleans, he could be an absolutely crazy Draymond Green backup at Golden State, he could be a really fun Heat Culture reclamation project, and he’s kinda exactly what the Knicks need.”
In theory, Simmons, who is in the final year of his five-year, $177 million deal, could fill those roles for the New Orleans Pelicans and the Golden State Warriors. He could also be a reclamation project for the Miami Heat, but I’m not too optimistic about him turning out to be an impact player in the NBA again.
Simmons is averaging 6.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 0.5 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game in 2024-25 for the Nets. The 28-year-old is a shell of the player he once was and I don’t think he’ll ever come close to recapturing the form that led to him making three All-Star teams.
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