PHILADELPHIA–The Ben Simmons era did not end well for the Philadelphia 76ers. While there were a lot of good moments for Simmons on the court and with the team, the ending of that era will be remembered the most as the two sides had a messy divorce.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft, Simmons won Rookie of the Year in 2018, he made three All-Star games, and he teamed up with Joel Embiid to lead the Sixers to a lot of success. They always had a high seed going into the postseason.
It was in the playoffs where Simmons struggled.
His lack of a jumper got exposed as teams would just wall him off from the paint and he had a tough time making an impact. He then passed up a dunk in Game 7 of the 2021 playoffs and that was it. He requested a trade in August, he had a holdout that lasted into the preseason, and he was finally moved to the Brooklyn Nets on Feb. 10 for James Harden.
As Simmons prepares to make his first trip back to Philadelphia since the trade, the question becomes should Simmons receive a tribute video and coach Doc Rivers believes he should get one.
“I do actually,” said Rivers. “Ben did a lot of good things here. It didn’t end well, right? Just like marriages and all kinds of other things that don’t end well. Ben did a lot of good things here. It’s funny, I don’t know if we are or not, but if we did, I’d have no issues with it.”
It will be interesting to see what happens on Thursday when the Nets pay a visit to the Wells Fargo Center, but one can count on it being a charged-up atmosphere in South Philadelphia.
“Our fans are so silent so I can’t imagine anything happening,” Rivers said sarcastically.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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