Ben Simmons Says 76ers Didn't Have His Back and Doc Rivers Tried to 'F--k with Me'

Brooklyn Nets star Ben Simmons addressed the unraveling of his Philadelphia 76ers tenure and didn't hold back with his criticism of former Sixers teammates or head coach Doc Rivers.

Simmons shouldered a lot of blame for Philly's exit in the 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals. Joel Embiid cited his pass to Matisse Thybulle underneath the basket as a turning point in the series-clinching loss. Rivers balked when asked whether the 6'10" playmaker could be the starting point guard for a championship team.

Simmons' relationship with the Sixers never recovered.

"I definitely didn’t handle it the right way after the season, but there’s two sides," he said to the Sydney Morning Herald's Konrad Marshall. "Your teammates are supposed to have your back. Your coaches are supposed to have your back. And I didn’t have that at all."

The three-time All-Star also thought too much was made of his pass to Thybulle in the fourth quarter of Game 6.

"If I could go back I would go up strong, go to the line," he said. "But there was so much emphasis on that moment. I made a bad play, but loads of guys made bad plays. I’m not the reason we didn’t win."

Simmons began a holdout ahead of the 2021-22 season in hopes of forcing an exit out of Philadelphia. He was ultimately suspended before the opener after he showed little effort on the court upon rejoining the team for practice.

"I still wasn’t ready in my head. I wasn't in a place to get on the court and play," Simmons told Marshall about what happened. "I went to Coach and said, 'I'm not ready yet to get back on the court, I need some time.' He says, 'Well, I'm going to put you out there regardless.' Okay, so now you're just trying to f--k with me."

The 26-year-old didn't get his fresh start until his February trade to the Nets, but the trade has done little to reset the general narrative that took form following the 2021 playoffs.

Back trouble prevented him from suiting up for Brooklyn for the remainder of last year. By the time the postseason rolled around, even some of his teammates seemed to grow tired of the uncertainty over his playing status.

Finally healthy again, Simmons showed his rust to open 2022-23 before he was sidelined yet again, this time because of a knee problem. He has averaged 6.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 7.3 assists in six games for the Nets.