There is perhaps no individual as universally loathed in Philadelphia at this point as Ben Simmons. The former Sixer has made himself an enemy by sitting out the entire season till the trade deadline and forcing a move away from the franchise. Even though the move netted James Harden for the organization, it’s very unlikely that many have forgiven Ben for his poor performances and ensuing holdout.
After the trade went through, fans circled March 10th on their calendar as the date that Simmons would be back to play in Philadelphia. Now, his slow recovery in terms of getting back into shape means he was always unlikely to be back in time for the clash, but many assumed that would mean that he wouldn’t travel to Philly with the team either.
However, Steve Nash said recently that Simmons would be joining them on their road trip and that led to some speculation that he might play after all. However, Shams Charania has now confirmed that while Ben will indeed be in the arena for the game, he will not be suiting up for his new team against his old team just yet.
Ben Simmons will not play in Thursday’s Nets-76ers – but is expected to make the return trip to Philadelphia and join team on bench inside Wells Fargo Center, sources say. More: pic.twitter.com/3orGREnaX8
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 7, 2022
“Ben Simmons will not play in Thursday’s Nets-76ers – but is expected to make the return trip to Philadelphia and join team on bench inside Wells Fargo Center, sources say.”
While fans of the 76ers will be sad that they cannot rile up Simmons during the game, they will at least get to vent their feelings towards the superstar as he sits on the bench during the game. Simmons hasn’t dealt too well with hate and criticism in his career, and this has the potential to end up being quite ugly for the Australian.
It’s surely not helped by the fact that even though Simmons himself has not been able to play, James Harden has slotted right in and led the Sixers on something of a winning streak before their loss to the Miami Heat. Even if Ben isn’t playing, just his presence in the building on March 10th will surely make for must-see TV.
