Adam Silver on Ben Simmons' 76ers Drama: 'There's a Reason Why We Have Contracts'

As the Ben Simmons saga continues for the Philadelphia 76ers, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver gave his thoughts Tuesday on the situation.

"There's a reason why we have contracts in this league," Silver told ESPN's Malika Andrews before the opening night for the 2021-22 season.

Simmons was suspended by the 76ers for one game for conduct detrimental to the team, ruling him out for Wednesday's season opener against the New Orleans Pelicans. He was kicked out of Tuesday's practice session by Philadelphia head coach Doc Rivers for reportedly not engaging with the team.

"I thought he was a distraction today," Rivers told reporters. "I didn’t think he wanted to do what everyone else was doing." 

He added: "I’m going to give Ben every chance to be part of the team. … As a coach, I have to protect the team first."

Simmons was also fined $1.4 million for missing four preseason games and has received "numerous" fines for missing practices and other commitments, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Silver said the situation is "something you never like to see, as a league," but he went on to add that there's an obligation on both sides to honor the contract.

"When you have situations like this, people of course turn to the contracts and expect players to honor it from their standpoint and players expect teams to honor contracts," Silver said.

Simmons was initially planning on holding out until he could be traded, but he returned to the team last week. His actions have caused him to fall out favor with his teammates, most notably Sixers star Joel Embiid, who said he hasn't talked to Simmons since he's been back.

Rivers said he expects Simmons to be back at practice Thursday. Philadelphia's second game will be Friday against the Brooklyn Nets in the team's home opener.