NBA media personality Stephen A. Smith has unleashed on injured Australian three-time All-Star Ben Simmons in a bizarre rant.
Simmons, who missed all of the 2021-22 campaign and was restricted to just 42 games with the Nets last season, has not played since early November after suffering a nerve impingement in his back.
The Australian’s agent Bernie Lee told The New York Post that he has entered the next phase of his rehabilitation and is looking at a return in a “matter of days to weeks, as opposed to weeks to months”.
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Speaking ahead of Sunday’s in-season tournament final on ESPN, Smith was asked how concerned he was that Simmons would not live up to his true potential after yet another stint on the sidelines.
Smith did not hold back in response, declaring he is “completely disgusted” with Simmons.
“I am completely disgusted with him. I am completely disgusted with Ben Simmons and I think we all should be,” he said.
“I don’t care at this point that he’s injured and the reason why is too much time went by when you were not injured when you were not playing. But you certainly made sure that you’re cheque was in your bank account every single month.
“We understand that mental health is a huge issue, it’s serious and not something to be diminished or maligned in any way. But you know something, you think about your money. Every time you turned around he thought about his money.”
The 76ers had initially withheld around $20 million of Simmons’ salary, arguing at the time that he breached part of his contract after holding out for the 2021-22 season, citing mental health.
Simmons and the National Basketball Players Association then filed a grievance and eventually settled with the Sixers, which saw him recoup part of the salary according to ESPN. The terms of the settlement, however, were not disclosed.
This July Simmons also received credit for a year of service for the 2021-22 season at Philadelphia.
Smith clarified he is a “fan” of Simmons but has grown frustrated with the constant interruptions that have disrupted his development since entering the NBA.
“I’m a fan of Ben Simmons. I like him genuinely as a person but I can’t measure my disappointment I have towards him,” he added.
“I watched this man blossom into a star and an All-Star calibre player in this league for years. As a youngster in this league at 6-foot-9, with his ball-handling and his passing and playmaking skills along with his defensive prowess.
“Even with the inability to shoot shots from the perimeter, he was still considered an elite player in this game and somehow some way he let the noise get to him in a way that prevented him from playing the game.”
Smith went on to question Simmons’ commitment, declaring he has shown an “unwillingness to have a passion to play the game of basketball”.
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“Now that we’ve transitioned to this point, where he’s legitimately injured with his back… you’re not delegitimising the injury,” Smith said.
“You believe him and you understand not to sit up there and malign him as if you’re questioning the legitimacy of the injury. We’re not doing that. What we’re saying is we don’t care because if it was not that injury it’d be something else because over the last two to three years what you’ve shown us is an unwillingness to have a passion to play the game of basketball.
“I don’t think the United States should accept it, I don’t think Australia should accept it, I don’t think any place on the planet that loves the game of basketball should co-sign and condone Ben Simmons’ lack of commitment to the game of basketball. Enough is enough. It’s unacceptable.
“You’re too great, you’re too talented, you’re too gifted to be allowing your talents to be wasting away the way that it has. I’m not excusing it anymore. He’s lucky he’s injured because if he weren’t injured I’d be talking about him every chance I got until he gets on the court and shows us his greatness because he can be a great player, a very talented player.
“But enough of this nonsense.”