Ben Simmons’ 76ers troll riles up the pundits, Philly fans

Ben Simmons less-than-subtle troll of his former team as they suffered an ignominious defeat in Game 7 of the conference semi-finals is the latest controversy involving the Nets guard.

ICYMI, the troll was a simple Instagram story post of what looked like his living room. No jokes, no comments at all...

A glass of wine, a bottle of water ... and a TV monitor showing the progress of the Celtics-76ers game Sunday. At that point, Simmons former team, the Sixers, were down by 30, 108-78. They ultimately lost Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals, aka the second round, 112-88.

A number of pundits were shocked and yes appalled too at the nerve of the former Sixers player ... whose superstar and (now former) head coach had thrown him under the bus after a similar second round loss two years ago. Simmons of course sat out 2021-22 and after off-season back surgery, was subpar for the Nets this season, shutting down February 15.

Those two ESPN showmen, Kendrick Perkins and Stephen A. Smith, in tweets and video, lambasted Simmons...

Smith waited till Tuesday, amidst all the controversy surrounding the Philly shakeup, to criticize Simmons for posting the image.

“I tried to give Ben Simmons a chance,” Stephen A. started. “But, he quit on the Sixers as we all know. I personally like him, but I’m ashamed at what he’s been like over the last couple of years. Listen, as much as I got on James Harden and Joel Embiid, at least they put on a damn uniform and actually showed up at an arena and stepped on a basketball court. The nerve. the unmitigated gall of this modern-day Zoolander known as Ben Simmons.”

Zoolander?!? How low can you go?!? Perhaps a reference to a rumor that Simmons has modeling aspirations? Who knows? And of course neither Perkins nor Smith mentioned Simmons history of physical issues, most recently with his back.

Philadelphia fans had their own thoughts ... between calling for Doc Rivers; head and James Harden’s neck. As always, it was restrained...

Ben10 haters of course aren’t limited to the Philly metro area. This one saw grounds for sending him back to Australia.

It’s actually been a good couple of weeks for Simmons. He reportedly won’t need a second back surgery which could have set back his return. He’s been seen working out, not just rehabbing, at the HSS Training Center and it’s increasingly likely that he will be joining the Australian national team at the FIBA World Cup in August.

For Nets fans, it is decidedly not a bad thing that Simmons is in a good place ... in front of his TV laughing at the 76ers. We might done the same.

• Stephen A. Smith calls out Nets’ Ben Simmons for IG post - Sharif Phillips-Keaton - USA Today
• Ben Simmons seemed to enjoy watching 76ers’ crushing Game 7 loss - Andrew Crane - New York Post