He does have at least one defender: Philly native and comedian Kevin Hart went on the “All The Smoke” podcast and said the city and franchise needed to ease up on Simmons.
“Granted, this a three-shooting time in the NBA. That ain’t Ben. He’s not that guy. He’s not that guy,” Hart said. “Now, because of the media and how they, you know, position things, somehow we forgot about all the good that he did. Wasn’t he an All-Star? Wasn’t he all-defensive team? What are we talking about here?”
We’re talking about practice!
Oh, wait, wrong 76ers guard.
Allen Iverson has as good a chance at suiting up for the Sixers as Simmons this season, though their gear does occupy the same space in merchandise outlets throughout Wells Fargo Center.
Simmons might be on the NBA clearance rack, but his No. 25 jerseys hung in the team store for the low, low price of $134.99, and T-shirts, plush creatures and Fatheads (for $19.99) were all still available.
It took several loops around the concourse about an hour before tipoff to find at least one fan wearing Simmons merch. Gerald McDonald, a New Jersey native who moved this year to Philly, wore a Simmons jersey with No. 25 emblazoned over an image of the Liberty Bell. McDonald bought it before last season’s playoffs to replace a tattered Iverson jersey.
Much like the 76ers, he has buyer’s remorse.
“He’s not feeling us no more,” McDonald said. “I’m trying to figure out if there’s an insurance policy with the jersey. From the looks of it, it looks like it’s over. It’s like a bad breakup. I guess the fans have to deal with it, so I guess we’re done, too.”
McDonald laughed as he noted he should have picked Embiid.
“I was like, Simmons ain’t bad, why not?” he said.