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<\/p>\nOne of Ben Simmons\u2019 former Philadelphia 76ers teammates has opened up on the Australian basketballer\u2019s unceremonious exit, revealing that comments made by coach Doc Rivers proved the catalyst for his departure.<\/p>\n
Simmons, drafted by Philadelphia with the top pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, was named Rookie of the Year and earned three All-Star selections before a brutal post-season run in 2021, where he came under heavy scrutiny.<\/p>\n
During a press conference in June 2021, Rivers declared that he \u201cdidn\u2019t know\u201d whether Simmons was a championship-level point guard, a remark that didn\u2019t sit well with the Australian.<\/p>\n
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Soon after multiple reports suggested the 76ers were planning to move on from Simmons, which proved the straw that broke the camel\u2019s back. He aggressively pushed for a move out of Philadelphia, eventually traded to the Brooklyn Nets for superstar James Harden in September 2022.<\/p>\n
Watch NBA with ESPN on Kayo Sports | Stream an average 9 LIVE Regular Season games per week plus the best of the NBA Playoffs | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1 ><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt was after the playoffs, when Doc had that statement, I don\u2019t think he took kind to it,\u201d former teammate Danny Green explained on the No Fouls Given<\/a> podcast<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThey asked Doc if (Simmons) was a championship point guard right now, and he said \u2018I don\u2019t know\u2019, which is fair to say, we hadn\u2019t won a championship.<\/p>\n \u201cThen I think the fact that there was rumblings of Philly exploring different ideas of moving him came out, to where it was like, \u2018Nah f**k that, I want to be traded,\u2019 break up with you before you break up with me type scenario.<\/p>\n \u201cSo then he wanted to be traded and he didn\u2019t show up. We were gonna go meet with him, fly out there to see him and try to talk to him, he told them, \u2018Don\u2019t waste your time\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cHe communicated with one or two guys on the team he was still cool with, like Shake Milton and somebody else. But everybody else, he treated us like we were front office.\u201d<\/p>\n Get all the latest news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports NBL Sportmail. Sign up now!!! <\/a><\/p>\n Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers.Source: AFP<\/p>\n Green also claimed that Simmons intentionally got himself kicked out of practice by training with a phone in his pocket.<\/p>\n \u201cIt took some time, he came back for a couple practices, got thrown out of practice purposefully,\u201d Green said.<\/p>\n \u201cHe had sweats on, phone in the pocket, did a couple drills. Doc was like, \u2018Yo, come on in bruh\u2019, he was like, \u2018Nah I\u2019m good\u2019, \u2018Alright get the f**k out then, go home\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n