Philly sports fans have never been shy about expressing their thoughts on Ben Simmons. The last time the Brooklyn Nets were at the Wells Fargo Center, the 6-foot-10 point forward was welcomed with boos throughout the arena — from the introductions to every time he touched the ball.
However, those same fans might be surprised to know that when it comes to Simmons, the feeling isn’t mutual
In fact, on the latest episode of The Young Man and the Three podcast with Nets teammate Cam Johnson and Tommy Alter, he praised the Philly fan base.
“I didn’t appreciate the fans enough,” Simmons said. “Like, the fans of Philadelphia are incredible. You always want to play for a team that has a good fan base — whether they’re booing or whatever. You just want fans to care. You want the arena packed. So, just having that experience in Philadelphia was amazing. I’m so grateful to have played there and get to experience the city of Philly and know what it feels like to play for a team like Philly and play on a winning team.”
Simmons spent four seasons with the Sixers after being selected with the first overall pick in the 2016 draft. During his tenure in Philly, he found a lot of success — he was an NBA All-Star three times in his four seasons, reached the playoffs every year, and received All-NBA honors in 2019-20.
“Winning in Philly is different,” Simmons said. “There’s no place like it. We had a chance to win a championship. I’m just grateful to have that experience and know what it’s like to be part of an organization in a city like Philadelphia and then just taking that and trying to apply it to Brooklyn, where I’m at now and embracing what it is now, knowing it’s not Philadelphia, but we’re here for a reason, and we’re trying to do everything we can to make an impact and win games and build Brooklyn up.”
Simmons is in his third season with the Nets since requesting a trade from the Sixers in 2021.. After he sat out the entire 2021-22 season, the Sixers traded Simmons to the Nets for James Harden.
Since then, Simmons played in 42 games in his first season in Brooklyn and only 15 games in his second season before a lower-back injury sidelined him for the rest of the season. This season, he’s played in 30 games and is averaging 6.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 7.1 assists while shooting 55.5% from the field.
He will be a free agent this upcoming summer.