December 14, 2019
Last winter, Philadelphia was swept by Bendall fever as the budding romance between Sixers point guard Ben Simmons and model/famous person Kendall Jenner blossomed into a surprisingly public item.
The two shopped for a Christmas tree and attended local college basketball games together; Jenner was frequently seen courtside, including wearing a Simmons jersey; and Jenner even chatted about her relationship with Simmons (however coyly) on Ellen.
Then Bendall came crashing down in late May, a heartbreaking blow to many (especially me, a colossal fan of both Simmons and Jenner). As Philly scribe Dan McQuade has famously said, Philadelphia doesn't have many true celebrities, so our celebrities are TV news anchors. When a real celebrity takes a shine to the city, it's a pretty big deal.
On Friday night, however, a glimmer of hope was spotted in the wild at the Wells Fargo Center. Was that... Kendall Jenner sitting in a box during a Sixers game?
Kendall at Ben's game todau 😍😍💃 pic.twitter.com/l3MAH94Hdd
— Kendall & Benjamin (@ilivebendall) December 14, 2019
. @KendallJenner had bodyguards blocking all up and down the club box she was in last night as she makes her 2nd appearance @sixers game to cheer on, on going beau @BenSimmons25 sent to me by 📸 Will Helm #bendall #kardashian How’d Ben play last night? pic.twitter.com/RVaEDh2pIn
— PhillyChitChat (@HughE_Dillon) December 14, 2019
#Bendall is back as @KendallJenner is spotted @sixers game for the second time in a week #phillygossip sent to me by 📸 Will Helms #KendallJenner #BenSimmons pic.twitter.com/jXgJWjhNL2
— PhillyChitChat (@HughE_Dillon) December 14, 2019
Earlier this month, the Daily Mail ran an item about Jenner being jealous of Simmons spending time with British TV and radio personality Maya Jama, which means the timing would make plenty of sense.
Plus, if you subscribe to the Bendall Performance Theory — that the Sixers, and especially Simmons, play better when she's in attendance at the Wells Fargo Center — it would certainly help explain Simmons snapping out of a minor cold streak (just 14 points in the previous two games combined) and going for 24 points and 11 assists in a win.
Frankly, it sure seems Jenner was in the house as the Sixers took care of business at home against the Pelicans.
Maybe they're just good friends now? Maybe it's the beginning of a new chapter in their relationship? In any case, I'm extremely glad to have Bendall back in our lives.
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