July 30, 2019
The end of July is one of the quieter periods for NBA news, when we're all stuck watching Instagram videos of summer run and re-watching last season's highlights. When a player actually says something, no matter what it is, we'll listen.
Sixers star Ben Simmons, who recently re-upped with the team for a whole lot of money, has been working on his jump shot this summer, but he's also been keeping up with one of his favorite hobbies: gaming.
In a story over at ESPN, Simmons discusses his love for video games at length, touching on the first game he fell in love with (Resistance, on PlayStation) and his choice of console (PC).
Simmons also broke down what the gaming situation is like in the Sixers' locker room and a quasi-gaming rivalry with one Joel Embiid:
"In the hierarchy of gamers in the 76ers locker room, Simmons notes that there is only one other teammate who can keep up with him in terms of gameplay and trash talk – Joel Embiid.
"'If you put me on PC, I'll destroy him,' Simmons says. 'He plays FIFA. I can beat him in FIFA. Here's the thing: I don't play FIFA, but I've beaten him in a game of FIFA. I can play any game.'"
That's quite a bit of smack talk from Simmons! He and Embiid are the two best, and most important, players on the Sixers, so it feels right that they're also apparently the two best behind the sticks.
Embiid has posted many videos to his Instagram story of his gaming victories over teammates, and even talked about pushing former teammate T.J. McConnell to the brink of tears during one brutal beatdown.
But Simmons sure seems confident in his abilities against Embiid. We'd absolutely pay, like, $15 to watch the two go head-to-head in a variety of games, from FIFA to Simmons' beloved PUBG, and maybe even some NBA 2K.
When it comes to competitive gaming, though, even Simmons would likely have a hard time against the 76ers Gaming Club, who face off with Timberwolves Gaming in the NBA 2K League championship series next month.
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