May 16, 2023

Ben Simmons trolls Sixers’ loss on Instagram

After everything that surrounded his exit from Philadelphia, the former first overall pick wanted the last laugh.

By Evan Macy
PhillyVoice Staff

Ben Simmons wanted the last laugh after he forced his way out of Philadelphia a year and a half ago, making it possible for the Sixers to trade for James Harden.

Philly went to Boston for Game 7 on Sunday and everyone reading this knows how it went. They were embarrassed beyond belief, losing 112-88 after one of the worst meltdowns in the history of sports in the city.

Simmons was eager to relish in the Sixers' demise, as he posted the photo below on his Instagram. Notice the glass of red wine he enjoyed as he no doubt rooted against his former teammates.

Ben Simmons posted a pic of the Sixers getting blown out 💀 pic.twitter.com/IZzjHUw9ub
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) May 14, 2023

It's an interesting decision to publicly troll the Sixers. The team did, after all, draft Simmons first overall and sign him to a lucrative second contract. We'll never know for sure exactly what went down behind the scenes after he himself choked in a second-round playoff series against the Hawks two years ago, but we do know that he refused to play for the franchise in 2021-22, citing mental health reasons among other things.

Simmons was shipped to Brooklyn to play alongside superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving last February, while Harden came to Philadelphia. In a season and a half with the Nets, Simmons did not see the court his first season and appeared in 42 games in 2022-23 before being shut down due to back issues. He averaged 6.9 points per game over that span and rarely looked like his triple-double dishing self.

Nets management moved on from both Durant and Irving, dismantling the team's new "big three" before it even got a chance to really play.

There are doubts that Simmons will play NBA basketball again — or whether he'd be effective if he decided to. But at least he got to relish in the schadenfreude on Sunday.

Follow Evan on Twitter:@evan_macy

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