Ben Simmons Blasts Daryl Morey in Explosive New Comments on End of His 76ers Tenure

Ben Simmons won't be sending Daryl Morey any holiday cards this year.

The NBA player and former Philadelphia 76ers star suggested that his holdout and ultimate departure from the Sixers during the 2021-22 season stemmed from the team's former president of basketball operations, Daryl Morey, trying to push him out the door.

"Especially come from up there, up top and upstairs, you're vocally saying you're trying to get me out of there or set things up or whatever. I think at that point—I'm one of those people, like I'm going to show you, you don't want me here? F--k it, I ain't coming in," Simmons said during ESPN's Being Ben documentary. "And that's where it came from. So it was never like I never wanted to be in Philly. Somebody had come in, obviously was trying to get me out, whatever, made promises to James [Harden]. Obviously James and him don't have... I don't believe have a relationship anymore. But that's just the business. There's some good guys in there and some bad guys and some people you can't trust. There's some snakes. And I think he's one of them."

Morey had been hired by the Sixers one year prior to Simmons' holdout.

As for the infamous practice Simmons was kicked out of during that ordeal—with conflicting reports regarding whether Simmons had a phone in his pocket during the practice—former head coach Doc Rivers offered more details.

"I think that was way overblown than what it was," he said during an interview on Being Ben. "Ben didn't want to be at the practice, nor did I think he should be at the practice. I didn't even notice the phone. I just noticed he didn't want to be on the floor, didn't want to do anything. But it wasn't some yelling match or anything like that. ... And it wasn't like he was going to fight it. He wanted to go."

Simmons, 30, has played just 108 games over the past five years since departing the Sixers, hampered by injuries. He didn't play at all last season. But he signed with the Sacramento Kings this past offseason and is expected to start for the team in the 2026-27 campaign.