Ben Simmons and James Harden have found new teams in the NBA after the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets swapped them ahead of the 2022 trade deadline. The Australian point guard was unhappy and unwilling to play for the Sixers again, which forced the team to look for alternatives, landing James Harden, who was growing unhappy with the Nets.
Given how similar their situations were, it’s easy to see why people in Philly and Brooklyn dislike their former players, and some have taken things to the next level. Simmons, for example, was attacked by fans and media members alike for his refusal to join the team following a terrible series against the Atlanta Hawks last season.
The energy hasn’t changed and the Sixers fans have trolled the player after he departed from the team. NBC Sports Philadelphia went in and made a graphic taking a big shot at Simmons while comparing him to Harden.
After the trade was completed, they shared this image showing James Harden stats compared to Simmons. While the Beard had some good numbers, Simmons had zero in everything. The worst part of this is that the graphic had a big “LOL” on Simmons’ three-point shooting percentage.
In the past, another station compared Ben Simmons to a trash can, showing they have no love for the playmaker after he decided to cut communications with the team and cited ‘mental health issues’ as the reason why he couldn’t play with them.
Everybody hates Simmons now, as even the Wells Fargo Center Twitter account reminded people that Sixers and Nets will clash next March 10. Joel Embiid also took some jabs at Ben, first when the trade was revealed and then while discussing the complex situation the team lives with the player.
We are seeing the start of a new rivalry in the NBA and we’re all-in about it. Simmons made a lot of enemies for his decisions, but that doesn’t seem to bother him. Meanwhile, people will keep taking shots at him, letting he know how hated he is in the City of Brotherly Love.
