Nets’ Ben Simmons Tweaks 76ers Fans: ‘I Got Grown Men Pissed Off’

There’s no love lost between Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers, and it appears the 27-year-old relishes that dynamic. 

After missing a game due to a knee contusion, Simmons returned to the court Saturday against his former team and was met with a cascade of boos at Wells Fargo Center—beginning when he checked into the game off the bench and continuing every time he touched the ball. But he didn’t seem to mind and even poked the bear after his team’s victory. 

“It’s funny to me,” Simmons told reporters after the 136–121 win. “I got grown men pissed off and yelling at me. It’s not that deep. It’s sports, but it comes with it so I enjoy it.”

In Simmons’s third game back in Philadelphia since being traded to Brooklyn in February 2022, the former No. 1 draft pick posted nine rebounds and five assists in his 14 minutes off the bench. He didn’t attempt a single shot. 

So far this season, he’s averaging 6.1 points, 10.3 rebounds and seven assists in eight appearances on the season.