James Lang-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 30, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons (25) goes up to dunk the ball as Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) defends in the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center.
For a brief moment, Ben Simmons seemingly had the world in the palm of his hands.
The former can’t-miss prospect was the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, and after missing the entire 2016-17 season due to injury, he became an immediate star the following season as a rookie.
Simmons won the Rookie of the Year award in 2017-18 and established himself as one of the league’s top two-way players. He made the All-Star game in 2019, 2020, and 2021, and finished in the top five in Defensive Player of the Year voting in the latter two seasons.
But there was just one glaring problem.
Simmons refused to even attempt to learn how to shoot. He took just 34 total 3-point attempts across his four seasons in Philadelphia, making just five (14.7 percent, for those counting). He also shot just 59.7 percent from the free throw line, making Hack-A-Simmons into a viable strategy.
It all came to a head in the 2021 NBA Playoffs. With the top-seeded Sixers trailing the Atlanta Hawks, 88-86, with 3:30 remaining in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Simmons passed up a seemingly wide-open dunk attempt.
He opted instead to pass to a surprised Matisse Thybulle, who was fouled and made one of his two free throws. Atlanta went on to win, 103-96, and Simmons never played another game in Philadelphia.
Now, five years later, he’s ready to explain himself.
Ben Simmons Was Too Scared To Shoot Free Throws Against The Atlanta Hawks
Not only is Simmons no longer in Philadelphia, but he’s also no longer in the NBA at all. At just 29 years old, the one-time potential Hall of Famer appears to be happy living life outside the NBA, instead spending a significant amount of time fishing competitively.
In a recent interview with Men’s Health, Simmons discussed his new life, but couldn’t shy away from a question about that play against the Hawks.
“I wasn’t hitting my s—, so motherf—er, you knock it down!” Simmons told interview Clay Skipper. “I just gave it to somebody who was shooting a higher percentage free throw at the time.
“So what is the difference? How about he should’ve made the f—king free throws? But he didn’t, and it is what it is. That’s still my boy. I love the guy.”
There you have it. Ben Simmons didn’t take the dunk attempt because he was scared to get fouled and have to shoot free throws that he didn’t think he’d make.
“What is the difference?” he asks.
Well, Ben, the difference is that you were a superstar play who had signed a five-year, $177.2 million contract. Meanwhile, Matisse Thybulle was a second-year role player who was playing on his rookie deal worth less than $3 million a year.
You were paid to take that shot. Additionally, the only defender in the area was Trae Young. Young stands at 6’2, 165 pounds. Simmons, meanwhile, is 6’10 and 240 pounds. There’s no world in which Young should’ve been able to prevent Simmons from dunking the ball. In fact, he didn’t even appear to try to do so.
That attitude is exactly why Simmons’ career went from a Hall of Fame trajectory to the butt of several jokes, and it’s why he can never show his face in Philadelphia again.