Steve Nash Hopes Ben Simmons Enjoys Hostile Sixers Crowd

The Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets are set to meet for the first time since they struck a blockbuster deal ahead of the 2022 NBA trade deadline. At the time, both organizations were dealing away their disgruntled stars.

In exchange for Ben Simmons, who requested a trade following Philadelphia's second-round series loss against the Atlanta Hawks in the playoffs last year, the Sixers landed the ten-time All-Star, James Harden.

Unlike Harden, Simmons didn't play for his former team at all this season. Once the star guard requested a trade last summer, he made it clear that he'd hold out until he got his wish. At that point, he lost the support of many Sixers fans.

When Simmons returns to Philadelphia on Thursday night, he won't play as he hoped. As the three-time All-Star has been ramping up his conditioning in hopes of returning and finishing the regular season off with the Nets following the trade, Simmons suffered a setback and is dealing with back soreness.

Therefore, he's been ruled out for Thursday's game. However, Simmons doesn't intend to avoid facing the Philly crowd. According to Nets head coach Steve Nash, Simmons will be on the bench supporting his teammates.

Embracing the Moment

Simmons will more than likely deal with a lot of heckling on Thursday night. While the situation won't be ideal for Simmons, who didn't want to face the Philly crowd as a member of the Sixers this season, Nash believes Simmons should embrace the environment at the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night.

"I hope he enjoys it," said Nash on Thursday morning. "How many people get to go in an arena and get booed by the entire place? I had it done to me, and I thought it was a privilege. I hope he enjoys the experience. His future is in Brooklyn, and Philly's moved on. It's a basketball game, so let's go out there and enjoy it."

Nash hasn't necessarily been in the same situation as Simmons -- and not many players have. While plenty of stars have grown disgruntled and demanded a trade from their team, Simmons's situation became unique with the way everything transpired. Regardless of how difficult it might be for Simmons to face Thursday's crowd, Nash acknowledges that Simmons just has to get it out of the way.

"It's a part of the process," Nash continued. "You leave one team and you go to another whether it was as eventful as this situation or not, it's always a little awkward when you go back to your old team and play. So, you know, I've been there, and I think it is a part of the process of just kind of getting that out of the way, going back and having everyone you know see you again, and you see them. Then from then on, everything dissipates game-by-game."

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

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