The Ben Simmons Era in Philly officially came to a close late last week when the Sixers traded the former No. 1 overall pick to the Nets for James Harden. After both players were officially introduced by their new organizations on Tuesday, however, it feels a bit more real.
There's still no word on when either might return to the court, with Simmons still working his way back after not playing yet this season and Harden recovering from a sore hamstring that will keep him out at least through the All-Star break.
We'll have more shortly from the Harden introductory press conference in Camden this afternoon, but in the meantime, there are still a lot of questions left unanswered in the Simmons saga. Namely, what ultimately led Simmons to requesting a trade? Was there anything that could've been done differently to salvage this relationship? And how much of a role did Simmons' own mental health factor into the move?
The 25-year-old guard spoke publicly for the first time since his final game with the Sixers, a Game 7 loss to the Hawks back in June in which Simmons, among other things, passed up a wide open dunk in the final minutes of play.
Here's a look at what he had to say that was relevant to the Sixers, his time here in Philly and more:
On when he might return to game action:
"No date yet. But I'm starting to ramp it up."
On if there was anything that could've changed his mind on leaving Philly:
"For me, it was just making sure I was mentally right to get back out there and play again. So that's something I've been dealing with — and it wasn't about the fans or coaches or comments made by anybody — it was just a personal thing for me that was earlier than that series or even that season that I was dealing with. And that organization knew that. So it's something that I continue to deal with, and, you know, I'm getting there and getting to the right place to get back on the floor."
On if the timeline that lead to his trade request:
"For me, the mental health has nothing to do with the trade. It was a bunch of things I was dealing with in my personal life, as a person, that I don't really want to go into depth with. But yeah, I'm here now. It's a blessing to be in an organization like this and I'm looking forward to getting back on the floor and building something great here."
MORE: Sixers, James Harden aiming for title this year: 'After the break, it's go time' | Harden appears at first practice with team
On what finally made him ask for a trade:
"I don't think it was really [one big thing]. It was more so just piled up, a bunch of things that have gone on over the years to where I just knew I wasn't myself and I just had to get back to that place of being myself and being happy as a person and taking care of my well-being. And that was the major thing for me. It wasn't about the basketball, it wasn't about the money or anything like that. You know, I want to be who I am and get back to playing basketball at that level and being myself."
On what was going through his mind after his last game in Philly:
"That I need to get in a good place mentally, honestly. That was the main thing."
On whether or not he would not mentally right to play in Philly again and if that had something to do with the trade request:
"I think that was part of it. I think I just wasn't in the place there to do that, and a lot of things had happened over that summer to where I didn't feel like I was getting that help. But it is what it is. It wasn't a personal thing toward any player or coach or owners or anything like that. It was about myself getting to a place where I needed to be."
On why he thinks it got so bad in Philly:
"If I knew, I would tell you everything. There's just a lot of things internally that had happened over time and it just got to a place where I don't think it was good for me mentally. So it is what it is, it happened, and we're moving forward."
On what it was like hearing rumors and people talk about him:
"This is the first time I'm really speaking out, right? So, the last six months I had everyone saying something, but not everybody knew. So I can't really say anything negative to anyone who was saying something, because they just didn't know. And I'm not the type of person to put somebody down for something I don't know about. That's just not me as a man, so ... it was never a personal thing. It was just about me getting to where I need to be."
On if there was anything that was said that he'd like to clear up:
"We'd be here for a while if that's the case [laughs]. I mean, everybody had a source, right? There were hundreds of sources."
On if he'll be ready to play against the Sixers on March 10:
"I hope so."
On hearing people question his mental health claims and if he takes offense to that:
"No, because I can't tell someone else how they feel. I can't tell somebody you need to do this or that, because I don't know how they feel or what they're going through. I don't know how they're processing things. But I also can't put somebody down for having those comments, you know? I'm never going to put my teammates down, my coaches, anything like that. So it is what it is."
On the communication with the Sixers on the way out:
"I spoke to Elton [Brand], I spoke to Josh Harris, they called me. I spoke to Doc Rivers and I spoke to Tobias and a couple of other players. They were happy for me to just be in a different situation and to get back on the floor eventually. Overall, I think they supported me well enough through this."
On if he spoke with Joel Embiid:
"No, I did not."
MORE: Embiid takes parting shots at Simmons, lays out future of Harden partnership
On how he learned about the trade:
"I was sitting there on my laptop in front of the TV, and then my phone just started blowing up. And it didn't feel real for a few days, honestly. Once I drove into the city, I was like, 'Wow, I'm really here.' Which is surreal because I've got my entire family 30 minutes away. I've got my grandparents 30 minutes away, so it's nice to have them close by also. I think this whole experience has been kind of surreal... I don't think it really hit me until I was by myself, because I was around my brothers and friends at the time. So once it really happened I had to take some time to myself to really process it."
On how he responds to people claiming he's making up his mental health issues:
"They should be happy I'm smiling, honestly. I've had some dark times over these last six months, and I'm just happy to be in this situation with this team and this organization. People are going to say what they want. They've said it the last six months and I haven't commented. And it is what it is. People are always going to have their opinions."
On if there needs to be a change in the way we address mental health in sports:
"For sure. I don't think people really understand the — I don't look at it as pressure, it's just so many things going on in basketball and our life as people. But it is what it is also; I understand the business side, I understand all that. But that's something that people should be acknowledging and addressing if they feel like they need some help in some areas, and it's OK to do that."