Ben Simmons is not exactly the most revered man within the Philadelphia 76ers fan base. And yet the Brooklyn Nets forward apparently wouldn’t mind a second chance to play for the Sixers.
In a recent interview with Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Simmons was asked to reflect on his time with the Sixers. Despite the unceremonious exit from the organization, the 27-year-old stated that his love for Philly never completely faded.
“I’ll always have love for Philly,” said Simmons. “People always ask me like, ‘If you were to get traded again where you want it to be?’ I always say, ‘Just Philly. Philly is a second home to me.’ And in time, you learn and grow as people. I don’t really have anything bad to say about Philly. It was a crazy situation at the end, but it is what it is.”
While Simmons may claim that he’s open to a Sixers return, how Sixers fans would receive him in any potential reunion is another matter entirely. Simmons himself knows how the fans feel about him, as evidenced by the fact that he was fully anticipating the boos ahead of his return to Philly last season.
Simmons played four seasons with the Sixers. He made the All-Star three times and looked poised to form a long-lasting Philly pairing with Joel Embiid. But Simmons’ playoff flameout and months-long holdout in 2021 mostly soured what started off as a promising relationship between player and city.
Simmons played in just 42 games for the Nets last season. He averaged 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per contest — all career-lows for the 6’10” point forward.
