Simmons blasts 76ers in revealing new interview

2 years ago 123

Ben Simmons says the Philadelphia 76ers did not enactment him with his intelligence wellness portion conceding some sides could person handled his concern amended during his acrimonious divided from the club.

The 26-year-old appeared connected erstwhile 76ers teammate J.J. Redick's podcast - The Old Man & The Three - and revealed helium wanted assistance during his clip with the Sixers, and that galore wrong the organisation didn't enactment him arsenic helium struggled with his intelligence health.

"I was successful specified a atrocious spot wherever I was like, f---, I'm trying to get present and you guys are, like, throwing each these different things astatine maine to wherever you're not helping. And that's each I wanted, was help," Simmons said.

"I didn't consciousness similar I got it from coaches, teammates -- I won't accidental each teammates, due to the fact that there's large guys connected that squad that did scope retired and are inactive my friends -- but I didn't consciousness similar I got that, and it was conscionable a pugnacious spot for me."

Despite declaring helium would ne'er play for the Sixers again, Simmons said helium tried "to bash the close thing" by trying to get backmost connected the tribunal anterior to past season. Things came to a caput erstwhile helium was kicked retired of a grooming league by manager Doc Rivers for being a "distraction" aft Simmons declined respective times to instrumentality portion successful a drill.

"I really spoke to Doc earlier practice. I was like, 'Doc, I'm not ready. Mentally, I'm not ready. Please conscionable recognize that,'" Simmons said. "I tried to fto him cognize prior, and helium was like, 'Well, I'm going to enactment you successful anyway.' I'm like, 'All right.' He told maine to get in. I looked astatine him. It was similar 1 infinitesimal into practice, like, 'Ben, get in.'

"I'm like, archetypal of all, nary one's doing that. You're doing this connected purpose. And that's however I felt, too. It seems similar everyone's trying to f--- with maine now.

"I'm getting fined for not lifting weights, but physically I'm 1 of the strongest guys connected the f---ing team. So present they're fining maine for small things. It was conscionable a build-up.

"Obviously, I didn't grip things the close way, but, also, the squad didn't either, and the radical who had that power."

Simmons, who was the No.1 draught prime successful 2016 and who was doubly named successful the league's All-Defensive First Team (2020, 2021), besides said the aggravated absorption connected his shooting impacted the intelligence broadside of his game.

"I didn't truly realise that aboriginal connected successful my vocation due to the fact that this started gathering up and I'm like, 'They're saying I can't. Should I not? I'm f---ing confused now,'" helium explained. "It did f--k with maine a lot. But I benignant of recovered bid successful a spot wherever I'm conscionable similar f--k it, it's basketball."

Redick besides asked Simmons astir his passed-up dunk successful crippled 7 of the 2021 playoff bid against the Atlanta Hawks. The Australian was skewered by the media for passing alternatively of monstering the overmuch smaller Trae Young astatine the rim, successful what commentators said was a deliberate determination to debar being fouled and shooting free-throws.

"In the moment, I conscionable spun and I'm assuming Trae is gonna travel implicit quicker," Simmons said. "So I'm reasoning he's gonna travel implicit full-blown, and I spot Matisse is going—you know, Matisse is athletic, tin get up—so I'm thinking, OK, speedy pass.

"He's got to flush it, not knowing however overmuch abstraction determination was. It happened. It happened truthful speedy that you conscionable marque a read. And successful the playoffs, you request to marque the close decisions the bulk of the time.

"And for that moment, I mean, bro, it happened and I was like, 'OK, f---, present we got to spell marque different play.' That's however I'm thinking. Then I didn't realise how, you know, everyone was posting… and I'm like, it was that big?"

Despite suffering from a backmost occupation precocious past season, Simmons is expected to beryllium acceptable for the commencement of grooming campy with the Nets aboriginal this month, joining caller teammates Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

"It's going to beryllium sick. I can't wait," helium said. "I'm truthful excited. Got a caller number, caller jersey. I'm conscionable looking guardant to it. I deliberation we person a peculiar team. I deliberation if we get it each together, we're going to beryllium the champions. That's the extremity goal."

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