Ben Simmons did… not had a good postseason for the Philadelphia 76ers, to say the least. Not only were his free throw statistics historically bad — and he had a combined 19 points in the final three games — Simmons also caught the ire of Philadelphia fans after passing on what seemed to be a routine dunk for most NBA players of his size in the fourth quarter of Game 7 against the Atlanta Hawks.
With the Sixers up 78-77 with three and a half minutes left in the game, Simmons had a golden opportunity in the paint to get up and over Trae Young for a dunk, but instead made an overhand pass to Matisse Thybulle, who was then fouled. Thybulle went to the line, making just one of two free throws, leaving a point on the table after Simmons opted to make the pass instead of go for the dunk.
It’s a head-scratching play, to say the least.
Ben Simmons did not just pass this up… pic.twitter.com/4JyM7ZHNkJ
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 21, 2021
The Sixers ended up losing elimination Game 7 to the Hawks 103-96, but Simmons’ lack of effort in going for a dunk incensed Sixers fans and had NBA fans across social media roasting the former No. 1 overall pick. Even Charles Barkley had something to say about Simmons and his inability to shoot the ball.
“You can’t have a guy on the court who’s afraid to shoot the basketball.”
Chuck talks Ben Simmons and the Sixers struggles in Game 7. pic.twitter.com/45vwFJRAxp
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) June 21, 2021
Here are some of the best roasts from fans about Simmons’ performance in Game 7.