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Ben Simmons addresses trade from 76ers: 'Mental health has nothing to do with it'

Cassandra Negley
WNBA and women's college basketball reporter
·3 min read
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Ben Simmons handed out a few answers after an elongated holdout and last week's trade to the Brooklyn Nets. The 2016 No. 1 overall pick told reporters his mental health had nothing to do with the deal, but that things had piled up during his tenure with the Philadelphia 76ers that forced his way out.

"It piled up a bunch of things over the years where I knew I wasn't myself and I had to get back to that place of being myself and being happy as a person and taking care of my well-being," Simmons told reporters. "That was the major thing for me. It wasn't about the basketball, it wasn't about the money, anything like that. I want to be who I am and get back to playing basketball at that level and being myself."

He said his decision not to suit up for the 76ers had nothing to do with fans, coaches or comments that surrounded him after Game 7 of the playoffs.

Simmons on mental health

There were reports in November that Simmons told the 76ers he was not mentally ready to play, hence part of the reason he was away from the team. It created an ugly situation in training camp and beyond.

But it had nothing to do with the forced trade, he said.

"For me it wasn't, that was never, the mental health has nothing to do with it. Just a trade," Simmons said. "It was a bunch of things that I was dealing with as a person in my personal life that I don't really want to go into depth with. But I'm here now. It's a blessing to be in an organization like this. I'm looking forward to getting back on the floor and building something great here."

Simmons, 25, did address his overall mental health and said fans should be "happy I'm smiling, honestly." He said he was dealing with things before the 2020-21 season came around.

"I've had some dark times over these last six months and I'm just happy to be in this situation with this team and organization," Simmons said. "People are going to say what they want."

Simmons hopes to be ready for Sixers-Nets

Simmons, who told reporters he did not speak with former teammate Joel Embiid after the trade, was asked if he plans to play when the Sixers and Nets meet in Philadelphia on March 10. He'll have to ramp up physically after so much time off and be ready mentally.

"I hope so," he said. The last game the three-time All-Star played was on June 20, 2021.

Simmons did not play, but was in the arena for the Nets' 109-85 win against the Sacramento Kings on Monday night. He reportedly did not do "much, if any, on-court work," per the New York Post. He did attend practices early on in the season with the 76ers, but it's unclear what his participation level was then.