Shaquille O’Neal has become one of Ben Simmons’ biggest detractors. The 4x NBA champion has been very outspoken about Simmons’ situation in Philadelphia, urging the player to just do what he’s asked to do, improve his game and become the superstar he was expected to be when he first made it to the association.
The point guard is yet to return to an NBA court since the Sixers’ second-round elimination at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks last season. Simmons attended the team’s training camp for a couple of days before Doc Rivers threw him out of practice.
He still hasn’t made his return to the squad, but the Sixers aren’t worried about that. They rank 3rd in the Eastern Conference standings at this moment, led by Joel Embiid. The Cameroonian has earned a lot of praise around the league, including from Shaquille O’Neal, who had good things to say about the 2022 MVP candidate while taking a jab at Simmons.
Last week, Shaq took some big shots at Simmons, saying that Embiid is very different from Ben, given his ability to take criticism and not whine after that.
Those comments didn’t sit well with the Australian player, who allegedly attacked Shaq on social media. The Big Diesel recently claimed that Simmons went off on him on Instagram after his ‘soft’ comments.
Via Justin Grasso of Sports Illustrated:
“He’s acting like a baby. He kind of got in my DM and said some things and I said some things back. I can’t [reveal what he said]. I can’t do that. All I said is ‘You’re leaving your man out there and you need to play.’ That’s all I said. Then he said some things but I’m not going to elaborate on what he said because that’s not cool. He’s probably mad. He’s mad because I’m his LSU brother, and I am. I’m still his brother.”
Shaq isn’t one to back down and he’s sent big messages to Simmons in the past. It’s very important for him that Ben went to LSU, Shaq’s alma mater, and he used that as a big reason to ask the player to return to his team.
Moreover, he even claimed he would have beaten Simmons if they were teammates. Shaq’s has criticized the 26-year-old non-stop and he won’t change his mind until Simmons makes a statement and return to the court either with the Sixers.
It seems like Simmons is tired of hearing the same thing every time and finally responded to O’Neal. The former center says he still is Ben’s brother, but it’s hard to imagine that the playmaker feels the same way.
