Danny Green knows all about getting harsh treatment from his own team’s fans, and his first season in Philadelphia definitely continued on that theme.
The veteran swingman spoke this week with NBC Sports Philadelphia. In the interview, Green was asked if the fickleness of the Sixers’ fans can have an effect on the players.
“For sure,” Green replied. “It has an effect on everybody, and I think that’s something that needs to change in the city. I love our fans, but when things aren’t going well, they can’t turn on you. That’s the one thing that I would disagree with or dislike. Some guys use it as motivation, some guys have a chip on their shoulder, but I think that needs to change. They need to be riding with us, regardless of how things are going.
“We’re the No. 1 team in the East, still playing well, and in some games they’ll boo us,” added Green. “That’s part of the culture here, part of their way of showing they love us. But with a guy like Ben [Simmons], and other guys, I think they need to stick behind them and stick by them as long as they can, until the horn blows. And even then, he’s here. He’s given so much to the organization and the city, on and off the court, that he deserves that respect and that support.”
Of course, Sixers fans vehemently support their team and are far from the only fanbase to start booing when the team falls flat of expectations. But one ex-Sixer seemed to feel the same way Green does about the local fans. Even Simmons himself, a regular target of fan ire, has been unhappy in the past with the booing.
Green, who will now be an unrestricted free agent, had a fairly successful individual season in Philly. But he was injured in the playoffs as the team bowed out in the second round. For what it’s worth, Green has experienced much worse treatment before at the hands of another fanbase.
