Ben Simmons has gotten the whole city of Philadelphia to turn on him … except for at least one celebrity 76ers fan.
Famous comedian Kevin Hart guested this week on SHOWTIME’s “All the Smoke” podcast. During the episode, Hart gave thoughts on the Simmons situation and surprisingly defended the disgruntled Sixers star.
“I’ll say this on record,” said Hart. “Ben Simmons is a f—ing star. Philadelphia, man, we’re a different city. Look, you gotta let players play like they play. Like, he got there by playing how he plays. Now granted, this is a three-shooting time in the NBA. That ain’t Ben! Now because of the media and how they position things, well somehow we forgot about all the good that he did. Wasn’t he an All-Star? Wasn’t he All-Defensive Team?
“You get to this stage in the playoffs where the lights are on, I understand it,” added Hart. “People don’t want nothing but results, and those results should come in a win. But I’m telling you guys. As a point guard, that man stands 6-foot-10. As a 6-foot-10 point guard, if you’re telling me that’s not a valuable asset, then I don’t know basketball. I know him. I think he’s young. He’s a great dude. He’s got a great f—ing future and a great career ahead of him. For him, this is nothing but a time to bear down and each year show progression. But I don’t like that in this time today, we forget so fast.”
Hart is a Philadelphia native who often sits courtside at Sixers games. As such, he has been there to witness Simmons’ progression since Simmons was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 draft. Hart also brings up a good point in that Simmons, despite all the criticism, has now made three straight All-Star teams and two straight All-Defensive First Teams.
Granted, the local ire for Simmons may be rooted more in his trade request and subsequent holdout than anything. We know plenty of Philadelphians who are not quite as understanding about the Simmons situation as Hart is.
