The Ben Simmons saga may be over, but it doesn’t mean fans will be so quick to forget the ordeal.
For weeks, Ben held the franchise hostage by outright refusing to play and ignoring the calls of his teammates. By the time he was traded in February, the city of Philadelphia was completely fed up with his antics.
Even for the last game of the season on Sunday, one Sixers fan made sure to show his feelings towards Simmons by adding his own special touch to his jersey.
The photo went viral on Twitter.
Sixers fans still taking shots at Ben Simmons
(h/t @detnewsRodBeard ) pic.twitter.com/PgQtrsIo4g
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 10, 2022
The jersey seems to be alluding to Ben’s recent back injury, which has kept him on the sidelines since being traded to Brooklyn. While reports of his potential return are out there, it still seems unlikely we’ll see him play this season.
It all started in the spring of 2021 when the 76ers lost in the Conference Semis to the Atlanta Hawks. In that series, Ben’s offensive struggles were put on full display, and even Joel Embiid couldn’t help but call him out.
“I mean, I’ll be honest. I thought the turning point was when we — I don’t know how to say it — but I thought the turning point was just we had an open shot and we made one free throw and we missed the other and then they came down and scored,” said Embiid after Game 7. “We didn’t get a good possession on the other end and Trae came back and he made a 3 and then from there down four, it’s on me. I turned the ball over and tried to make something happen from the perimeter. But I thought that was the turning point.”
Seeing betrayal, it was shortly after those comments that the rumors began to surface. Eventually, Simmons made an official trade request — and the rest is history.
After months of a long battle between the 76ers and their disgruntled star, it was finally resolved when James Harden became available. But the sour taste in the mouths of every Philly basketball fan will continue to linger, even long after the move that sent him miles away.
The fact is, there will always be some resentment towards Ben Simmons, and you can’t blame some people for holding a grudge after all he put the team through.
