Australian basketball star Ben Simmons ended his holdout with the Philadelphia 76ers by practicing with his phone in his pocket and refusing to participate in the team’s huddle in images that sum up the attitude of the polarising NBA talent.
Simmons told the 76ers he would not play for the team again after requesting a trade following the franchise’s unceremonious playoff exit last season that saw the 25-year-old Melburnian cop a large portion of the blame.
He made a surprise appearance at practice on Monday, arriving at the team’s facility looking downtrodden before putting in an uninterested performance.
Simmons was recorded walking around expressionless before participating in light drills with his phone in his pocket before loitering in the background and refusing to engage in the team’s post-training huddle.
Ben Simmons ended his holdout with the 76ers by practicing with his phone in his pocket (seen above) on Monday
The 25-year-old’s phone can clearly be seen sticking out of his pocket while he puts in an uninterested performance during his return to practice on Monday
Simmons, who is on a $200M contract, infuriated Aussies by ditching the Olympic squad to ‘focus on skill development’. He was spotted at Wimbledon with his rumoured girlfriend Maya Jama days later
The former No.1 overall pick has been a divisive figure during his time in the NBA with his unique athletic gifts heavily contrasted by his poor shooting.
His work ethic has been questioned on several occasions, with scouts saying he prefers to spend his offseason on boats with models rather than working on his game.
Simmons requested a trade in the wake of Philadelphia’s playoff elimination to underdogs the Atlanta Hawks last season that was compounded by a particularly poor showing from the Australian.
He told the 76ers he would not play for the club again, despite coach Doc Rivers and co-star Joel Embiid saying they wanted him to return to the franchise.
No trade was found given the high demands of Philadelphia, and with Simmons starting to rack up lofty fines exceeding US$1million, he returned to training Monday.
Simmons stands back and watches on as his teammates train while not even taking his phone out of his pocket
Simmons seemed uninterested and unengaged during his return to the 76ers on Monday, walking around the court and training with his phone in his pocket
An expresionless Simmons puts in a half-hearted performance at 76ers practice on Monday
Despite his presence, the point guard seemed uninterested, ghosting around the practice court with a blank expression on his face.
Eagle-eyed viewers noticed Simmons hadn’t even taken his phone out of his pocket, with the device bulging through his pants.
The 25-year-old didn’t appear to talk to any of his teammates, offer any words of encouragement and ended the session by avoiding the post-training huddle, before shuffling off before anyone else could leave the gym.
‘He could at least pretend like he gives a sh*t. Or you know. Try to improve his shooting,’ a 76ers fan replied to the video.
‘Going to practice with a cellphone in your pocket doesn’t look good.’
‘Seems pretty clear he’s not intending to be a part of this team,’ a man tweeted.
Another fan offered a different view, pointing to another of the 76ers’ recent first round picks and instead blaming the city’s infamous sporting culture.
‘I think there is a reason why Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz both caught the yips. Philly’s fans and media are pretty crappy,’ the supporter said.
Simmons’ team, the LeBron James-backed Klutch Sports, will continue to push the 76ers towards a move but they will have to lower their expectations for a trade package if it is to happen before the beginning of the season.
Blank-faced and uninterested: Simmons’ return to Philadelphia’s training facility on Monday raised further eyebrows
Simmons’ reputation took a massive hit after the 25-year-old told Australia he would not be representing them at the Olympic Games in Tokyo earlier this year, instead using the summer to ‘to focus on individual skill development’.
But just days later he was seen at the tennis grand slam in London with Maya Jama, drawing heavy criticism from outraged fans.
‘As an Aussie I think Ben Simmons electing NOT to play for our national team under the guise of “offseason improvement” and then being seen smooching at Wimbledon is a kick in the guts for us over here,’ one person tweeted.
The 26-year-old presenter was first rumoured to be linked to Simmons when she was seen on a night out on June 26 at restaurant Sexy Fish in London.
She was the first to leave the venue, closely followed by the NBA star a few moments later.
Simmons told Basketball Australia he would not be participating in the Olympics in the lead-up to the competition.
The decision was met with widespread disappointment from Australians, who were further angered by seeing him at the tennis competition with his girlfriend, who has amassed more than 2.2 million Instagram followers.
‘Ben Simmons couldn’t turn up for Australia in the Olympics but rocks up to Wimbledon… what a drag,’ one posted to social media.
‘Ben Simmons skipped the Olympics to “work on his shot” but ended up watching tennis at Wimbledon,’ another tweeted.
A third fan asked ‘I wonder what his Boomers “teammates” think of this’ after San Antonio Spurs guard Patty Mills expressed his disappointment at the decision.
Source link
