It sounds like Simmons is ready for Sixers fans’ boos originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
We’re just two days out from a date Sixers fans have had circled on their calendars for weeks, and a moment those same fans have been thinking about for the better part of the year.
It’s time for Ben Simmons to return to the Wells Fargo Center, in front of fans, and face the music.
Simmons isn’t playing Thursday night when the Brooklyn Nets visit the Sixers, but the Nets have confirmed he’ll be on the bench – and if you could bet money on whether Simmons will be roundly booed by the home crowd, the odds on “Yes” would be set at -1,000,000.
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It sounds like Simmons, who avoided basically everything about the Sixers and the city after he requested a trade over the summer, is finally ready to rip the bandage off and deal with the ire of a fanbase scorned, according to Nets head coach Steve Nash’s comments Tuesday morning:
Franky, this is good for all involved.
Simmons needs to face Sixers fans sooner rather than later, even if he’s not playing. The Sixers and Nets share not just a conference but a division; these two teams will be playing a ton over the course of Simmons’ current contract, which I’d imagine he will spend playing for Brooklyn. Get booed, get over it, and both sides will (more or less) move on.
Will Simmons still booed to high heaven any time he returns in the future? Yeah, probably. And the first time Sixers fans have the opportunity to get loud with Simmons at the free throw line in the second half, with a Wendy’s Frosty at stake, you can guarantee they’ll go nuts.
But Thursday night will be the biggest outpouring of frustration at the former Sixers star, and it seems Simmons wants to get it over with.
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He probably thinks he did what’s best for him, and that’s totally fine. Live your life. But to most Sixers fans, it feels like Simmons came up small in the playoffs and then quit on the organization when he took the brunt of the blame. That’s what Thursday night is going to be about. It’s more than just a trade request; it’s a rebuttal of the tough love and requited passion that turns Philly athletes into legends.
So it’ll be one big boo-fest on Thursday night, tribute video or not, and Simmons will have to simply sit on the sidelines and take it. I at least respect him for showing up, and I can’t wait to see how the actual game goes.
