September 24, 2019
Bill Streicher/USA Today Sports Images
Ben Simmons, reacting to a foul call during the 2017-18 NBA season. Simmons was linked to Larsa Pippen, ex-wife of NBA legend Scottie Pippen, by gossip sites this week. The rumors appear to have been unfounded.
The Philadelphia 76ers will begin their 2019-20 campaign in less than a month, which means the summer routine of turning Ben Simmons into the prototypical gossip athlete (which he leans into, and which stats prove the public devours) will slow down in favor of actual basketball talk.
Kendall Jenner may no longer be in the picture for Simmons, but an Instagram post over the weekend landed the All-Star in hot water with fitness puritans.
Many gyms and lifters, specifically, believe it's bad form to use your phone in the middle of a workout. It's not only disruptive of your routine and focus, but it may make you less aware of your surroundings and cause a run-in with someone in the middle of a set.
If you really care about this kind of thing, then seeing someone on their phone mid-workout just makes them seem unserious about their fitness. If you don't care at all, then you're probably more the sort to live and let live. You probably don't even notice what other people are doing at the gym, because you're on your phone and see nothing wrong with it.
Simmons shared a collection of photos of his weekend workout, including a picture of him doing nothing but holding his phone. As D'Marge points out, this is a major "gym sin" in the eyes of some, although everyone is guilty of it.
One commenter playfully chided Simmons for his phone usage.
"Get off the phone bro ... got work to do," the commenter said, which prompted replies along the lines of "Do you even lift" and "Go work on your jump shot."
Simmons responded, "Man I had to switch the playlist."
That seems like the one completely valid explanation out there for using a phone in the middle of a workout. Gym etiquette can often be situational — if you're one of a few people there, for example — but it would appear Simmons knows the phone isn't the best look during a lift.
The Sixers are entering the season with massive expectations, including the anticipation of Simmons expanding his range with the jump shot he's been seen working on all summer. The guy faces a lot of scrutiny and gets criticized often for that hole in his game, but no one can say he hasn't been working hard to match his $170 million contract extension.
