Philadelphia fans are widely viewed as one of the most passionate fanbases in all of professional sports. There’s no doubt that they ride or die with the players that they love, but the players that they dislike often receive a lot of vitriol from the fanbase.
Ben Simmons is one of those players that is viewed negatively in Philadelphia. Despite the fact that he was a three-time All-Star with the team, his playoff performance against the Hawks in 2021 as well as the nature of his exit has caused a lot of fans to dislike him.
A video has recently surfaced, that featured Ben Simmons getting heckled by Philadelphia 76ers fans prior to the start of the currently ongoing Philadelphia 76ers-Brooklyn Nets game.
There is no doubt that Ben Simmons was going to receive a cold welcome in Philadelphia. Teammate Goran Dragic even talked about how he expects fans to be unpleasant.
“It’s probably not going to be pleasant,” Dragic said. “The same as in Toronto [for me], but it is what it is. We’re all professional athletes. At the end of the day it’s only boos, so you just go out there and perform and try to do your best. But as long as it’s nothing serious, no throwing things and just be verbal, I don’t care.”
While the fans may have been verbally attacking Simmons as of late, it seems as though the guard will be the one getting the last laugh. The Brooklyn Nets are currently blowing out the Philadelphia 76ers, and it doesn’t looks though the 76ers will be able to fight back and get the win.
Hopefully, we see Ben Simmons get healthy sooner rather than later. The Brooklyn Nets will be an amazing team when at full strength, and perhaps we’ll see them thrive in the postseason.
