In Philadelphia, Ben Simmons is facing one of the biggest challenges of his career. After failing to lead the Sixers anywhere of note in the playoffs, Simmons forced his way out in 2021 through methods that left a bad taste in many fans’ mouths.
In Brooklyn now, Simmons has finally found his footing and is thriving with his new squad. Tonight, both teams are facing off in Philadelphia for Simmons’ first game back in Wells Fargo Center.
The fans were loud with heavy boos (aside from one who shouted support), but it made no difference to Simmons in the end. His very first points of the night came at the free-throw line, where he stepped up and easily drilled the free two points.
Ben Simmons' first points come on free throws and he knocked them down easily 😏pic.twitter.com/E4MHCj3ZLY
— 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧' 𝐍𝐁𝐀 (@_Talkin_NBA) November 23, 2022
The better moment came directly after this when he stole a page from MJ’s book with a signature shrug toward the crowd.
Ben Simmons doing the MJ Shrug after knocking down two free throw 🤷♂️pic.twitter.com/KwfFwRUTTe https://t.co/seaBlYyeku
— 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧' 𝐍𝐁𝐀 (@_Talkin_NBA) November 23, 2022
For those who don’t know, ‘the shrug’ dates back to an infamous moment from Michael Jordan in the 1992 NBA Finals when ‘His Airness’ drained six three-pointers in the first half of Game 1. To this day, it stands as one of the most iconic heat checks in NBA history.
Ben Simmons Is Rounding Into Form After A Difficult Stretch
It has been a long road to recovery for Simmons, but he is starting to prove the doubters wrong with his recent string of performances. Over the last few games, the star swingman has really come into his own.
“But for me, I’ve been dealing with the knee since the start of the season. It’s been swollen. I had PRP (injections). I had blood drained a couple times. So it’s not a made up thing, you know? It’s a real thing. There’s only so much I can really do (about perception),” Simmons said. “You can’t make people believe, you know? They weren’t there when I was on the floor and couldn’t walk (because of his back). They weren’t there when I was in the ambulance getting taken to the hospital (after a Feb. 22, 2020, game at Milwaukee). People weren’t there, so they don’t know. That was the first episode I had against Milwaukee. That was the original trigger of it…right before COVID, the start of my back issues.”
It remains to be seen if this level of play is sustainable for Simmons, but there’s no reason to think he can’t go back to being the player he was before everything got crazy.
People are going to have their doubts, as they should, but Ben has been stepping up lately and if he can play through all the hostility in Philadelphia, he can get through any other challenge that comes his way.
But maybe he should slow down before trying to imitate the great Michael Jordan. He’s got to at least close the deal before he can do that…
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