Trae Young Details How Ben Simmons Passing Up Open Dunk Derailed His Career: “I Feel Bad For Him”

Trae Young was a foot away from Ben Simmons when the 76ers star passed up an open dunk in the 2021 playoffs.

Trae Young Details How Ben Simmons Passing Up Open Dunk Derailed His Career: “I Feel Bad For Him”

Trae Young guards Ben Simmons as he passes open dunk (Image via The Night MVP/X)

It was irony personified when the news of Ben Simmons tearing his Achilles tendon a day before his comeback to the NBA was announced moments after ESPN released a documentary about his journey in the league.

The documentary was created by the network to showcase how he arrived amidst a bit of scrutiny, then displayed his All-NBA self on both ends of the floor alongside Philadelphia 76ers cornerstone Joel Embiid.

Instances of that era coincided with many believing that the Australian was going to be one of the best players in the league. The combination of his size, vision, and skill made it inevitable that he was going to succeed.

That was until Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on June 20, when Simmons’ career took a turn for the worse. After struggling with an NBA-low free-throw shooting percentage, the point guard passed up the opportunity to score on a wide-open dunk.

To this day, many believe that the play showed how much he lacked in confidence. That narrative continued throughout his career. His opposing point guard on that day, Trae Young, saw this unfold in real time and had this to say about it.

I feel bad for him because that’s a play that will probably stick with him forever… He wanted to make the right play, he didn’t want to shoot free throws.

Trae Young told ESPN

The then-Atlanta Hawks star reiterated that he understood why Ben Simmons gave up that easy dunk, as he was struggling with free throws, and Young would foul him no matter what. However, he understands that the play ended up becoming Simmons’ undoing.

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Doc Rivers comes clean on comment about Ben Simmons’ future

After discussing that fateful play, the documentary then moved on to portray the aftermath. Naturally, questions raised to Joel Embiid and Doc Rivers came up.

Ben Simmons and Doc Rivers
Ben Simmons and Doc Rivers (Image via NBA Base/X)

Using some sensitive words, Ben Simmons relayed what he felt about his then-head coach, who was supposedly in his corner until that fateful game. But now, the Hall of Famer reveals that it was not his intent to talk ill about his point guard’s future with the team.

I always wished like I could have answered that one question better. I didn’t mean it the way it was taken.

Doc Rivers told ESPN

The 65-year-old pointed out that he was trying not to answer questions about Simmons’ future. He reiterated that stance the following day to the media. But by then, his original answer had been treated as the Gospel truth, and it went viral.

Rivers understood that the damage had been done, and no matter how much he tried to clarify, his relationship with his playmaker deteriorated.

After that, the rest is history as Ben Simmons decided to hold out over fines for not turning up at practice, and how the Sixers treated him before eventually trading him to the Brooklyn Nets.

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Ben Simmons will have to wait and see if he has a chance to return to the NBA next season

With this documentary coming out, fans will get a different insight into what went down with Ben Simmons and his much-maligned career. However, that will not affect how NBA teams look at him next season.

The likes of Tyrese Haliburton and Damian Lillard, both of whom missed last season with Achilles tendon tears, had a proven on-court track record. The three-time All-Star does not, as sitting out of the 2025-26 season did not help his reputation.

If there was a chance of him playing in the NBA for a few more years, it was this year after the Sacramento Kings decided to roll the dice. After all, he was on an inexpensive one-year prove-it deal.

When he returns next season, he will have missed two straight years of competitive basketball. Therefore, it will be a matter of waiting and watching which teams would need an experienced playmaker such as Ben Simmons.

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