The relationship between Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers has deteriorated to the point of no return, and Simmons almost certainly believes the team is responsible for that. It is safe to say Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal disagree.
Barkley and O’Neal shared their thoughts on the Simmons situation during the latest episode of “The Big Podcast with Shaq.” Barkley, a former 76er, began by saying he is “disappointed” in Simmons.
“When you give somebody $200 million to dribble a stupid basketball and the only thing you asked him is to be better as a player, and their first response is, ‘I don’t want to be here anymore.’ That disappoints me as a player and disappoints me as a fan,” Barkley said.
That criticism was nothing compared to the way Shaq blasted Simmons. The four-time NBA champion bluntly stated that Simmons is “not that good” and said he has to work on his game to reach the next level.
“Don’t be putting pictures on Instagram of your Ferrari or what actresses you’re hanging around with,” Shaq said. “When you play for a town like Philadelphia, Boston, L.A., Miami, hard-working towns, they don’t give a s— about none of that. They want you to come, work hard and play hard.”
Shaq then ripped Simmons for the way he played against the Atlanta Hawks in the postseason.
“I was at that Game 6 when that man didn’t even look at the basket,” he added. “I know the first thing as a player I do is look in a player’s eyes. That man was out there terrified. Not terrified of playing, but terrified of being fouled and missing free throws.”
You can hear more of the criticism from Barkley and Shaq below:
Shaq and Chuck share their thoughts on Ben Simmons' reported trade request from Philly
More on the full episode of #TheBigPodcast: https://t.co/ZnXR6KPvnj pic.twitter.com/UvHj6OU4iU
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) September 9, 2021
This isn’t the first time Barkley and Shaq have ripped on Simmons. Barkley recently said he hopes the 76ers take a stand against trading Simmons where he wants to go. Shaq has been much more animated, especially when he blasted the former top overall pick during the playoffs.
