Stephen A. Smith Calls Out Ben Simmons' Lack of Heart
Missed this yesterday afternoon because honestly my eyes tend to glaze over whenever I see a clip of ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith screaming into the void circulating through social media.
Philadelphia’s favorite son took to his “Stephen A’s World” platform on ESPN+ to share some thoughts on the Ben Simmons situation and, to this author’s surprise, came off as beacon of sanity and common sense in the maelstrom of nonsense surrounding the 76ers curmudgeonly point guard.
This is utterly ridiculous on the part of Ben Simmons. Come on, Bro! pic.twitter.com/HXZOBaTarJ
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) September 21, 2021
“Good luck to the team he lands with. Because at this particular moment in time we can only say you’ll be getting a good player, but not one willing to do what’s required to be great. If (screaming) Ben Simmons developed a free throw shot, not even a jump shot, he’d average 25 a game. He’s that gifted, he’s that special of a talent. His problem is he’s scared to shoot. And the 76ers, and the 76ers fan base is to blame? And you don’t want to come back because you can’t deal with them? That’s a heart check, ladies and gentlemen.”
When Smith is a voice of reason it may be time to take stock of your current life and reevaluate some of your life decisions, Benny boy.
If anything, the 76ers certainly hold the court of public opinion in their favor for this situation. I can’t recall a player/team feud that was so lopsided in favor of the team as this one. Hall of Fame NBA players are coming out to condemn Simmons for his weak character and refusal to improve his game, choosing to run away from a challenge instead of finding a way to overcome adversity.
I’m not sure exactly how the Sixers can use this to their advantage, or turn it into some type of leverage, but that’s why smarter people than me run the franchise.
Maybe the Sixers can drop an NFT of Simmons rotting away on the bench three weeks into the season? Perfect marketing tie-in and a great way to further shame the young Aussie.