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Former Sixers Star Ben Simmons Appears Courtside for Nets Matchup

On Sunday afternoon, the Philadelphia 76ers took the court once again for a Summer League matchup in Las Vegas. In their debut matchup against the Toronto
Justin Grasso|
Former Sixers Star Ben Simmons Appears Courtside for Nets Matchup
Former Sixers Star Ben Simmons Appears Courtside for Nets Matchup

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Philadelphia 76ersBrooklyn Nets

On Sunday afternoon, the Philadelphia 76ers took the court once again for a Summer League matchup in Las Vegas. In their debut matchup against the Toronto Raptors on Saturday, the Sixers took on a notable loss after nearly going scoreless in the fourth quarter.

The 76ers had a chance to bounce back on Sunday with a matchup against the Brooklyn Nets. As they took on their Atlantic division rivals, former Sixers standout Ben Simmons was sitting courtside and checking out the action in Las Vegas.

Just last year, Simmons was a member of the 76ers. After getting selected number one overall in the 2016 NBA Draft, Simmons became a franchise cornerstone for the Sixers.

In his first four seasons in Philadelphia, Simmons established himself as a three-time All-Star and two-time All-Defensive First Team member. In his final season playing with the Sixers, Simmons was the Defensive Player of the Year runner-up. 

Following a disappointing playoff run in 2021, Simmons requested a trade from the Sixers. Although he wasn’t granted his wish to be moved immediately, Simmons was an inactive member of the 76ers throughout the 2021-2022 season.

After being sidelined for half the season, Simmons was finally moved to the Brooklyn Nets in a blockbuster deal, which netted the Sixers James Harden. Although Simmons was ready to return to action with the Brooklyn Nets, the star guard suffered a setback, which ended his season.

Simmons is on pace to be ready to start next season with the Nets. As he recovers from back surgery and gears up for the start of next season, Simmons is checking out the young talent Brooklyn possesses in Summer League. On Sunday, Simmons watched his Nets team defeat his former squad 91-84. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s Philadelphia 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia Threads: @JGrassoMedia

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