Ben Simmons is ready to make his long-awaited return to the court this upcoming NBA season. After missing the entire 2021/22 campaign due to his mental health issues and then his back injury, the Australian point guard is ready to bounce back and show that he’s just starting.
Following a tumultuous exit from the Philadelphia 76ers, it’s pretty clear that nobody loves him in Philly, but Simmons doesn’t hold any grudges against the team. However, he has some things to get off his chest when it comes to Philly fans, who were ruthless with him after the 2021 NBA playoff collapse.
What started as a great partnership ended up being a terrible failure, with Simmons getting booed by fans even when he was still part of the team. He enjoyed his time in the City of Brotherly Love but now is tired of the criticism of fans.
Ben Simmons Takes A Jab Philadelphia Fans For Always Criticize Him
During an interview on JJ Redick’s ‘The Old Man and the Three’ show, Simmons opened up on how the people in Philadelphia always want to say something about anything, calling them out for constantly saying something bad about him, especially when he posted on social media and it wasn’t him in the gym.
Here’s @BenSimmons25 on his relationship with the city of Philadelphia.
Full episode with @jj_redick and @talter drops tomorrow morning on all platforms. pic.twitter.com/VAuxKbYNYu
— TheYoungManAndTheThree (@OldManAndThree) September 21, 2022
People in Philly just want to have something to say about f**king anything, man. Like, everything. Like literally everything. I post a picture of a f**king car or a dog and I got reporters saying ‘You should be in the f**king gym’. Like, come on, man, but yeah, for sure. Philly is obviously a sports city. My experience playing there was incredible. Like, for the most part, it was incredible. I had a great time. Like, the fans are unbelievable.
Simmons added that he still has an apartment in the city, as well as other businesses, even claiming that he feels he’s still part of Philadelphia.
I still have an apartment there. So I do own some real estate in Philadelphia, still. So I feel like I’m part of Philly still, but it’s just unique. Like, even being in Brooklyn now, it’s completely different. Like this is a different experience for me and I value just that time I did spend in Philly, because I was able to learn and grow in that city and I got friends for life there. I got—my brother lives there. Like, I got family there. So, yeah. Philly’s great. I think people have like a thought that I think that I hate it.
While Simmons thinks that way, the fans are the opposite. When he returned to Philly as a member of the Brooklyn Nets, they didn’t have mercy on him, booing him nonstop after seemingly giving up on the squad and leaving for Brooklyn. This season, he’ll return to Wells Fargo Center, and fans are expected to give their everything to intimidate Simmons.
Meanwhile, he’s ready to get a revenge season with the Nets, who are all under a lot of pressure following another terrible campaign. If things fall into place for this team, they could be a complete show run by Simmons.
