Stephen A. Smith argues Ben Simmons didn’t play to protect his case against the Sixers
Ben Simmons did not play a game for the Philadelphia 76ers or Brooklyn Nets over the course of the 2021-22 NBA season, but Simmons is seeking $20 million in salary that the Sixers withheld from him. Simmons filed a grievance in April, following his trade to the Nets at the deadline.
At that time, it was expected that Simmons would eventually return to the court for the Nets, but a back injury derailed those plans. Simmons underwent a successful procedure to address a herniated disc in his back on Thursday – a medical issue that did not surface until after the trade was completed.
In a discussion with Brian Windhorst, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said he doesn’t doubt the legitimacy of Simmons’ injury, but argued that the real reason Simmons never played for the Nets this season was to protect his grievance claim against the Sixers. Had he played, per Smith, he would have undermined his own cause.
Stephen A. Smith: “I’m not saying there’s no back injury. I’m not saying there’s some phony procedure going on. They say it, it’s legit, I believe them.
What I’m saying is this: You missed all these games. You get traded to Brooklyn. If you play then that messes up your case with Philly and the grievance, because then it would have been about you just not wanting to play in Philly as opposed to you really having a mental health issue that prevented you from playing period. So when that came into question, then we heard about the back. Windy, correct me if I’m wrong, did you hear anything about [Simmons’] back before he got to Brooklyn?”
Brian Windhorst: “No, and a fair question has to be asked. I assume that his physical was passed. The Nets, had they seen an injury here severe enough to need surgery, you’d wonder if they’d want to go back to Philly… there’s some missing parts to this that we don’t quite understand.”
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