The 76ers have struggled as of late, making this season a long and tedious one. With the All-Star break coming up and the team struggling to find its footing, there’s been some talk about how they should recognize Ben Simmons before he leaves Philadelphia for good in free agency.
The “Ben Simmons Should Receive Video Tribute From Philadelphia 76ers” is a debate that has been going on for a while. The 76ers should give Ben Simmons a video tribute during the Sixers game against the Boston Celtics.
Ben Simmons didn’t exactly win over the Philadelphia 76ers’ fan base, which is infamous for turning on each other and bringing out the boo-birds. Not after a dismal performance in the Eastern Conference playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks was followed by a lengthy holdout, and especially not after he was moved to the Brooklyn Nets halfway through the 2021-22 NBA season.
It’s pointless to rehash every step that led Simmons from franchise star to Philadelphia pariah, if only because the chronology is so imprinted in every Sixers fan’s consciousness. We may now turn our attention to the present and future.
Doc Rivers, the head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, believes Simmons should be honored with a video tribute when he returns to the City of Brotherly Love on March 10 to face the Brooklyn Nets.
He is correct.
Doc Rivers explains why he thinks a Ben Simmons homage is appropriate.
Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers speaks with Doc Rivers, the head coach at the time. | Getty Images/Mitchell Leff
Doc Rivers had to address a sensitive subject after Monday’s win against the Chicago Bulls, in which Joel Embiid maintained his pursuit for the first scoring championship by a center since Shaquille O’Neal and midseason addition James Harden rose up the all-time free-throw and three-point leaderboards.
Is he of the opinion that Ben Simmons, who will not be playing but is expected to attend, should be honored with a video tribute upon his return to Philadelphia?
According to Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer, he answered, “Yeah, I honestly do.” “You know, Ben accomplished a lot of nice things here, don’t you? Isn’t it true that it didn’t end well? Marriages and all sorts of other things don’t always work out.”
As Mizell correctly pointed out, several clubs have used jumbotron time in recent years to recognize the contributions of their former players. The recipients have varied from superstars who had reached the end of their careers to role players who earned fans’ favor for their hard effort and willingness to contribute in ways that weren’t reflected in the box score.
Simmons is in the center of the pack.
He played more like a superstar than a role player, but his lack of offensive growth neutralized much of his defensive skill and prevented him from completely ingratiating himself with the Wells Fargo Center’s audience. Then there was the dreadful conclusion, which may take center stage but shouldn’t overshadow all he did before things went south and he moved north.
The savagery of the Philly conclusion does not overshadow the previous triumphs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FHKMeGm 54
*{padding:0;margin:0;overflow:hidden} html,bodyheight:100% img,spanposition:absolute;width:100% ;top:0;bottom:0;margin:auto;bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyhe spanheight:1.5em;text-align:center;font:48px/1.5 sans-serif;color:white;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow
Put aside all that transpired throughout the 2021-22 season, during the 2021 offseason, and at the end of the 2020-21 season, including the dunk that didn’t go in the Hawks’ favor to bring the playoffs to a tense finale.
When Simmons returned to the 76ers, he was still regarded as a true star, and players of his quality nearly always get respect from their old clubs when they return.
Simmons spent what should have been his rookie season recuperating a knee injury after joining the league as the No. 1 overall choice in the 2016 NBA Draft, but he flourished from the minute he got onto the court.
His lack of three-point shooting ability, as well as some of his apprehension about driving to the hoop and exposing himself as a poor free-throw shooter, were persistent flaws, but they didn’t stop him from becoming a generational talent as a distributor and one of the league’s best, most versatile defenders. On his record, the 25-year-old still boasts three All-Star appearances, two All-Defensive picks, and one All-NBA recognition, not to mention a delayed Rookie of the Year award.
Aside from his own personal achievements, he also assisted in the turnaround of the Philadelphia Flyers from the dark days of The Process to seasons spent vying for Eastern Conference championships. Remember that he debuted in 2017-18, and then look at how the team has progressed:
- 19-63 in 2013-14
- 18-64 in 2014-15
- 10-72 in 2015-16
- 28-54 in 2016-17
- 52-30 in 2017-18. (lost in Eastern Conference semifinals)
- 51-31 in 2018-19 (lost in Eastern Conference semifinals)
- 43-30 in 2019-20 (lost in Eastern Confernece first round)
- 49-23 in 2020-21. (lost in Eastern Conference semifinals)
Were Joel Embiid and the team’s enhanced ability to bring in high-caliber free agents a big factor in the expansion? Yes, of course. Were the early exits from the playoffs disappointing? Unquestionably.
Philadelphia may still be in trouble if Simmons isn’t bothering opposing ballhandlers, switching onto every sort of player conceivable, setting up his teammates with on-target passes, and averaging 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.7 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game.
If nothing else, it’ll provide an opportunity for the rabid Philadelphia fans to boo.
Ben Simmons has virtual followers cheering him on during games in the NBA.
“They better put some boos in there for us: because if we’re not playing hard, we want to hear those boos. But you can’t put a fan on a screen and replicate Sixers fans. We’re one of a kind” pic.twitter.com/TOzw49aujA
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) July 24, 2020
Even if that doesn’t convince you — and as a Sixers fan, you have every right to feel that way — consider that Simmons was so good that even the disgruntled version, whose stock had been lowered by both his playoff failures and the way he handled his exit from Philadelphia, helped bring back James Harden in a blockbuster trade with the Brooklyn Nets.
Even if that doesn’t dissuade you — and you’re perfectly within your rights to feel that way as a Sixers fan — think about the opportunity.
Simmons is unlikely to play against the Sixers on Thursday night, and it’s difficult to picture him doing so in the near future at the Wells Fargo Center. A video tribute may be the only way to put the focus on him in such a manner that the jeers from the sure-to-be-packed rafters can rain down on him.
“I can’t fathom anything occurring since our supporters are so quiet,” Rivers said, his tongue firmly pressed to his cheek.
Everyone in attendance, from the most lukewarm anti-Simmons fans to the most vehement, should be considerate of the huge point guard’s mental health issues, which he’s allegedly currently working through in Brooklyn.
But hasn’t the option to boo him always been what such a huge number of supporters in a sports culture infamous for booing wanted?
RELATED: The Brooklyn Nets’ Ben Simmons Injury Update Is ‘Déjà Vu All Over Again’
The 76ers roster is a team that has been in the NBA for over 50 years. They have won 11 championships and have had many great players. One of their most recent players, Ben Simmons, should receive a video tribute from the Philadelphia 76ers.
Related Tags
- ben simmons trade
- ben simmons news
- joel embiid ben simmons quote
- where is ben simmons from
- ben simmons defense
