After leaving the 76ers behind, and burning all the bridges on his way out, it’s fair to say Ben Simmons is not on good terms with Philadelphia basketball fans.
This is why, if you want to bear witness to the highly anticipated event, you’ll have to pay a pretty penny.
Even for the cheapest seats, you’ll have to fork up at least $100. The courtside tickets are being sold for up to $10,000. There will also be “extra security” for the game.
A Wells Fargo Center official tells Eyewitness News there will be extra security. Thursday night’s game is the most in-demand ticket in a decade.
At last check, the cheapest tickets cost $125 — and that’s for standing room only.
If you have some more money to spend, two courtside seats are up for grabs on StubHub for more than $10,000 each.
Nobody is sure exactly what to expect on Thursday, but things are sure to get pretty wild.
It was Ben’s weak performance that helped the 76ers lose the 2021 Eastern Semis, and it was Ben who betrayed the team and fans by refusing to suit up for them again.
On one hand, nobody knows what Simmon was going through at the time and it’s fair to say he was dealing with some personal issues. On the other hand, fans have a right to criticize him for the way he quit on the team and handled his exit after he demanded a trade.
Veteran Nets guard Goran Dragic knows the atmosphere in Philadelphia will likely be intense, but he said he doesn’t think Simmons will have an issue with it.
“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.”
The fact that some fans are willing to pay over $10,000 for tickets shows just how crazy tomorrow’s game is going to be.
While Simmons will not be playing, reports say he plans to attend the game and will be on the sidelines cheering his squad on. The Sixers crowd, which is notorious for being rowdy, is going to let Simmons know how they feel about his ugly departure.
