Watch: Ben Simmons Pregame Warmups vs. Sixers, Signs Autographs
PHILADELPHIA -- Roughly an hour before tip-off, the Brooklyn Nets swingman took the Wells Fargo Center hardwood for his pregame warmups with all eyes and camera lenses on him.
Simmons' pregame warmups stretched nearly 30 minutes. During his session, the former Sixer worked on his dribbling, passing, mid-range shooting, and free-throw shooting with Nets' assistant coaches. During parts of his warmup, he dealt with a heckler trying to get his attention. Below is a thread of his pregame warmups.
After Simmons slammed home a couple of dunks, he chose to sign autographs for the Sixers and Nets fans in attendance. The autograph session, which included the star going into the stands, stretched nearly three minutes. Simmons, despite hearing some heckling during his pregame warmups, received a good amount of support from fans.
The 26-year-old star will start for the Nets in his playing return to Philadelphia. Simmons will certainly be expecting a hostile environment at his old stomping grounds. When Brooklyn's head coach Jacque Vaughn was asked about the attention revolving around Simmons for the playing return contest, he said his star should embrace the energy.
“This is a Vince Vaughn earmuffs night tonight my man. It ain’t got nothing to do with the weather either. I think he should embrace it," said Vaughn pregame. "Enjoy it. It’s a part of sports. Philly, they have great fans. What I want to see is his teammates have his back, embrace him, and enjoy this moment. You get to hoop in front of people who are cheering for you, against you, just hoop man.”
Simmons enters his big man posting averages of 7.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1.0 steals per game.
