Ben Simmons makes STUNNING admission about desire to re-join 76ers
Ben Simmons has admitted to considering rejoining the Philadelphia 76ers and has expressed a desire to be traded back to the team.
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Ben Simmons (via HoopsHabit)
Philadelphia 76ers fans hold strong negative feelings toward Ben Simmons due to the upheaval he introduced to both them and the team. After Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021 against the Atlanta Hawks, Simmons chose not to participate for the Sixers. After Coach Doc Rivers criticized Simmons’ poor performance during a press conference, deeply upsetting Simmons, he made the decision.
In the aftermath of Game 7, Simmons never returned to play for the 76ers. Initially, he held out and later attributed his absence to mental health issues, leading him to miss the entire 2021-22 season. Afterward, the team traded him to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for James Harden. However, Simmons was unable to compete for the Nets in the playoffs due to a back injury. Throughout the past season, he participated in only 42 games for the Nets and fell short of his previously recognized All-NBA caliber performance.
When reflecting on his tenure with the 76ers and its conclusion, Simmons conveyed in an interview with Marc J Spears of Andscape that he enjoyed his time playing for the team. Departing from the 76ers coincided well with his personal circumstances, though he acknowledged that injuries and off-court issues hindered his experience. He thanked Philadelphia for affording him an opportunity and affirmed his lasting affection for the city and its fans.
In his discussion, Simmons also addressed his hypothetical future trades, voicing a preference for returning to Philadelphia if he were to be traded again. He highlighted that Philadelphia holds the feeling of a second home for him despite the tumultuous nature of his departure from the franchise.
“People always ask me like, ‘If you were to get traded again where you want it to be?’ I always say, ‘Just Philly. Philly is a second home to me.’ And in time, you learn and grow as people. I don’t really have anything bad to say about Philly. It was a crazy situation at the end, but it is what it is.” Simmons said.
Ben Simmons aiming to comeback strong next season
While Ben Simmons already has a career that many players dream of, he certainly has a lot to prove coming into the next season due to his huge contract. In the recent interview, he confirmed that he is in the best physical shape possible and practices 5-6 hours a day to be ready for the upcoming season, raising expectations for him to perform at the level he used to during his 76ers days.
In the same interview, when asked how he would compare himself to the version that played for the Brooklyn Nets last season, he stated that the current version of himself would utterly demolish the version from last year. “Definitely. Yeah. The version I’m at now, if I was playing against myself from last season, I would kill him. That’s how I feel,” Simmons said.
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Ritvik Malhotra
(1085 Articles Published)