Ben Simmons made a surprise return to report to the Philadelphia 76ers on the eve of the regular season, but according to multiple reports, it doesn’t seem like Simmons wants to be with the team.
On Tuesday, the Sixers announced that Simmons has been suspended for one game for conduct detrimental to the team, which means he will miss Wednesday’s season opener against the Pelicans. Shortly after the Sixers’ announcement went public, reports emerged from various sources that Simmons had been thrown out of team practice on Tuesday.
Former NBC Sports Philadelphia reporter Serena Winters shared Doc Rivers’ explanation following the incident. Rivers called Simmons a “distraction,” and said that he told Simmons to leave.
Doc Rivers on Ben Simmons: “He was a distraction today, I didn’t think he wanted to do what everybody else was doing. It was early, it wasn’t a big deal. I just told him, he should leave then, and we went on with practice.” #Sixers
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) October 19, 2021
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Simmons refused to participate in a part of practice, and called such behavior a “consistent theme” since he’s returned.
Simmons was tossed early in practice, essentially for a refusal to participate in the next stage of the session, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/wq2hN07lny
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 19, 2021
Simmons’ reluctance to physically and mentally engage with the Sixers since his return has been a consistent theme, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/bG1Cs2EuZ4
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 19, 2021