Philadelphia 76ers took Ben Simmons with the No.1 overall pick in NBA Draft 2016. Sixers were looking for someone to strengthen their team as they faced a horrible defeat by 10-72 before entering the 2016 NBA Draft. They ended up picking Simmons out of the LSU Tigers. The 6-foot-10 Ben had an excellent season before getting picked by the Sixers. Though he has a good record on court he also faced criticism from Philly fans.
Some fans criticized him for not working on his weaknesses and having poor shooting skills. Some also hate him for leaving the Sixers without putting much effort and not taking any accountability. In 2020-21, he got out of Philadelphia due to a contract issue and then he got traded to the Brooklyn Nets. He faced a lot of booing from Philly fans whenever he was in the town.
Ben Simmons got booed and missed both of his foul shots.
Time is a flat circlepic.twitter.com/D4KhJqjsFS
— Barstool Philly (@BarstoolPhilly) October 4, 2022
Ben Simmons has a love for Philly fans?
After getting out of the Sixers, Ben Simmons faced a lot of booing from their fans, especially when he was in town. But it seems like he doesn’t have any hate for the Philly fans. In an interview, he said:
Sometimes, I think about (my recent struggles). I’m like, ‘Damn, that’s a lot.’ Sometimes, I sit down and break it down. That was exhausting that I was having to deal with all that. But I feel like there are different situations you can handle, and this is a good test for me. How much worse can it get?
The injury and everything that was going on didn’t help, But I think it gave me a chance to really appreciate it. I’ll always have love for Philly. 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.
Ben Simmons against Hawks in 2021 NBA playoffs
In the 2021 NBA playoffs, when the match was in the hands of the Sixers, Simmons gave a surprising pass to Matisse Thybulle which resulted in one of two free throws. After that, the Hawks maintained the lead over the Sixers and ended up winning that match by 103-96. That throw of Simmons was the turning point that changed the entire dynamics of the match.
Simmons getting booed by fans
The very first time after the blunder against the Hawks in the 2021 playoffs, when Ben Simmons returned to Philadelphia he faced loud booing from the Philly fans even when he was not playing. He was on the bench due to the back injury, but the fans at Wells Fargo Center booed him too much as he came out of the tunnel.
