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Ben Simmons Says Rookie of the Year Race Was Not a ******* Race
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Ben Simmons doesn’t usually have much to say after a game, but last night was different.
You could tell he was motivated, probably a combination of wanting to wipe away the bad taste from the Boston loss while also showing up Donovan Mitchell in his own house after a somewhat chirpy Rookie of the Year campaign dating back to the beginning of this year.
After the game, Simmons said it wasn’t a race at all, in comments made to the Salt Lake Tribune’s Eric Walden:
76ers point guard Ben Simmons has had enough of lingering questions about last year’s Rookie of the Year race between himself and the Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell.
Actually, before Thursday’s game at Vivint Smart Home Arena, he took issue with even characterizing it that way at all.
“It wasn’t a [expletive] race,” Simmons said. “You saw the votes, right? … Did you see the votes? So what’s the question?”
For those who didn’t see the votes, of 101 ballots cast, Simmons got 90 firsts, 10 seconds and one third, while Mitchell got 11 firsts, 89 seconds, and one third. Simmons prevailed 481 points to 323.
Simmons went on to say that that Mitchell was a “great player” while also hammering home the idea that he didn’t care one bit about “outside noise.”
I also found this comment from “SeaMoose” funny, posted in response to the Tribune story:
Fair enough, I guess.
Ben also had some things to say about the Utah fans that booed him through the first three quarters last night, after the jump:
Utah welcomed the reigning Rookie of the Year with boos. Ben Simmons wasn't too impressed 🙄 pic.twitter.com/Eb8rITeMnV
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) December 28, 2018
Looks like we can put the Rookie of the Year thing to bed for good. On to more important things, like the jump shot.
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com