NBA
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith says he’s done with Ben Simmons’ ‘sorry ass’ after he trolled Philadelphia
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All posts by Antonio KozlowUpdated18 May 2023
Ben Simmons has had a tough season, not only did he underperform for the Nets, but he also fell to injury and missed out on most contests. Last week, he posted a photo of himself witnessing Philadelphia, his former team, get eliminated by Boston in the Eastern Conference’s semifinal series.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith did not take this lightly, as the Aussie’s post went viral interpreted as if he was making fun of the Sixers. The sport analyst decided to put Simmons in his place.
Take a look at the Brooklyn player’s social media post this past weekend:
Ben Simmons posted a pic of the Sixers getting blown out 💀 pic.twitter.com/IZzjHUw9ub
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) May 14, 2023
As you can see, the point guard is seen having a glass of wine while watching Philly’s blowout defeat on the television in the background. Smith let it rip this week on his “Know Mercy” podcast:
“The only thing worse than James Harden was that sorry trifling ass Ben Simmons. And I tried to be [nice] to Ben Simmons. I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt,” he started. “How the hell are you talking about a basketball player, when you treat putting on a basketball uniform and dribbling — when you treat that as if somebody asked you to get on the front lines in Ukraine to fight Russia.
“That’s how scared he is to play basketball.”
Even though the broadcaster also shared his disappointment in Joel Embiid’s performance, he took out his anger on Simmons, who was traded to the Nets right after James Harden didn’t work out alongside Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant in Brooklyn.
The Australian was chosen by the Pennsylvania franchise as the No.1 overall pick in the 2016 draft, and at least four out of his six campaigns wearing the Sixers jersey were outstanding performances adding many accolades to his trophy shelf.
His last season in Philly, however, was one to forget. His 2021 playoff run saw him score only 11.9 points average and became one of the main reasons why the Atlanta Hawks eliminated them that year. After that, he spent most of the 2021/22 campaign sitting on the bench waiting to make a move away from the Sixers.
Smith discredits Simmons’ mental health as an excuse for his poor performances in Brooklyn
During his first tournament for the Nets, the point guard has only participated in 42 matches so far, averaging some of the lowest stats of his career (6.9 points, 6.1 assists, and 6.3 rebounds per game). Some of the excuses to cover up his poor displays have mostly been injuries and mental health.
“I mean, he’s the one that’s talking about it. They brought up mental illness. I didn’t bring that up. I didn’t say anything about that. I’m not making light of something like that. He brought that up,” Smith added.
“He said that was rationale. He said that he needed therapy. He said that he needed to talk to people. Then it’s a back injury. Then it’s a knee injury. It’s all of these excuses not to play,” the broadcaster kept at it.
“But that brother never missed a check though. He always make sure the check is in the account. And you are talking about James Harden and the 76ers — the team you quit on? The team you left hanging? The team that you were supposed to help deliver a championship as the number one overall pick in the draft? You! You! That’s you.”
