76ers' Ben Simmons Discusses Giving Back During COVID-19 Pandemic

Philadelphia 76ers All-Star guard Ben Simmons has been productive both on and off the court throughout the 2019-2020 season. When his homeland of Australia was dealing with wildfires, Simmons was one of the first NBA players to step up, donate, and encourage others to help out in every way they can.

Then when the COVID-19 pandemic started affecting the United States of America, Simmons did all he could to drive attention to two Philadelphia-focused non-profits by helping create and becoming the face of 'The Philly Pledge.' 

While Simmons isn't the only member of the 76ers to get involved in charity work off the court, the veteran point guard always seems to be one of the first help out when things go wrong. And recently, Simmons discussed his desire to help with 76ers Reporter, Brian Seltzer.

"Someone has to [step up]," Simmons told Seltzer. "If you have the opportunity to do something to help people -- help feed them, clothes, teach, whatever people need like the simple things in life that we take for granted a lot of the time. If we're able to give those back -- it's huge. It means a lot to people who are in need [of] things in their lives."

[RELATED: Ben Simmons' 'Philly Pledge' Inspired Others to Expand Mission]

For the last month or so, Simmons' 'Philly Pledge' has been a significant success. With help from his other celebrity, Philly-based athletes, Simmons, and the pledge have generated hundreds of thousands of dollars to local non-profits such as Philabundance and PHL COVID-19 Response.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_