Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons formed a duo for the Philadelphia 76ers that the franchise was sure they could build a legitimate championship contender around. The early seasons of the two playing together were exciting but friction within the locker room and the constant criticism for Simmons from the outside about his poor shooting eventually culminated in a falling out of epic proportions within the roster.
Simmons spent the better part of this season before being traded to the Brooklyn Nets not playing for the Sixers but this wasn’t thanks to the lack of trying from his teammates as well as the organization. Attempts were made to bring Ben back into the fold but they ultimately failed as the Australian quite clearly had his mind set on finding a move away from the franchise that had drafted him.
Speaking to Malika Andrews about his attempts to make Simmons feel like a part of the team again, Joel Embiid made a very telling statement. He spoke about his efforts to bring the guard back into the fold and how they didn’t end up working which essentially led to him not caring after a point.
“I did a lot of chasing around trying to get him back and try to make him feel comfortable again. It was tough. I didn’t care anymore.”
Joel Embiid on Ben Simmons, James Harden, and the MVP race. Catch our convo on NBA Today: pic.twitter.com/cI2dXv6QIn
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) February 22, 2022
“I did a lot of chasing around trying to get him back and try to make him feel comfortable again. It was tough. I didn’t care anymore… I could have said a lot of stuff but I still did what I had to do that was good as a teammate.”
Embiid can now stop worrying about the situation again and focus on the future, alongside a former MVP in James Harden, who came over from the Brooklyn Nets in the trade that saw Simmons make his exit. The two sides are scheduled to play one another in Philadelphia early in March and that game is likely marked on the calendars of Philly fans as it promises to be a spicy one following all this drama.
