Nets' Ben Simmons on Relationship with 76ers' Joel Embiid: 'We Never Really Spoke'

Despite being teammates for five-plus seasons, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid never had much of a relationship off the court.

Speaking to ESPN's Nick Friedell, Simmons said he and Embiid "never really spoke" during their time together with the Philadelphia 76ers:

"I don't think there was really a relationship there. Like in terms of a friendship? You can try as hard as you want to try to be close to somebody, be their friend, whatever it is, but everyone is different as people, so for me, it's never personal. I don't have any anger or hate towards him. He is who he is and I am who I am. And we've got our personal lives. And work is basketball, so in that moment, my goal is to win and I got to win with Jo. He's a great player, we just didn't get it done."

There have been indications from both players that they didn't have a close relationship outside of being teammates.

In a March interview with Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix, soon after Simmons was traded to the Brooklyn Nets, Embiid said he didn't hold any resentment toward the three-time All-Star.

"I wouldn’t mind being friends," Embiid said. "That’s just me. I don’t care. Honestly. I respect the decision he made. I think it’s unfortunate what happened, but to me it’s whatever."

The end of the Philadelphia 76ers' era with Simmons and Embiid as the top two players came on June 20, 2021. The Sixers lost in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals to the Atlanta Hawks.

After the game, Embiid and head coach Doc Rivers were critical of Simmons for his performance in the game. The entire saga spilled over to the start of the 2021-22 season, eventually leading to Philadelphia trading Simmons to Brooklyn in February.

Simmons ultimately sat out all of last season to focus on his mental health and a back injury that required surgery in May. The 26-year-old has been playing for the Nets throughout the preseason.

Brooklyn's first preseason game was against the Sixers on Oct. 3. Simmons scored six points with five assists and four rebounds in 19 minutes. He had his best showing of the preseason on Wednesday, dropping seven points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in a 107-97 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Simmons will make his regular-season debut for the Nets on Oct. 19 against the New Orleans Pelicans at Barclays Center.