With Ben Simmons having reportedly decided against playing in Philadelphia, reports have now emerged claiming that his rift with Joel Embiid was a major reason behind the call.
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The Philadelphia 76ers have been through their fair share of struggles in the last decade. It all started from “The Process” where the team tanked for multiple consecutive seasons to get hold of good prospects.
Their fortunes changed after the team landed two gems in Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, and Philly had looked set to be a contender for years to come.
The aftermath of “The Process” hadn’t quite yielded quick results, however. A soul-crushing defeat against the Raptors from Kawhi Leonard’s memorable buzzer-beater was the first major blow in 2019. Their most recent debacle against the Atlanta Hawks though seems to have been the final straw.
Also Read: Joel Embiid And Ben Simmons Kept ‘The City Of Brotherly Love’ Constantly Tense
With popular GM Daryl Morey entering the Front Office, a new era of prosperity was on the horizon. Superstar Joel Embiid had finally reached the next level by finishing 2nd in the MVP race. The Bucks had eliminated the favorite Nets in a grueling 7 game series. The Sixers were finally contenders. Then Ben Simmons did the unthinkable.
Having been targeted for poor foul shooting throughout the series, Ben had the golden opportunity to get Sixers level with a wide-open dunk. He instead passed up the opportunity to a contested Matisse Thybulle, who went on to miss a crucial free throw in the dying moments of Game 7. The incident showed Ben’s severe lack of confidence due to foul hunting against him.
Ben Simmons has been the subject of ridicule over the past few weeks over his horrendous outing against the Hawks in the Conference Semi-finals.
Since the debacle, speculation regarding Simmons’ future has been absolutely wild. In recent days, however, sources have revealed that the former ROTY is done playing for Philly. And now it appears that the incident does not seem to be the only reason for the supposed split.
Reports have emerged claiming that the star duo of Ben and Joel had an ongoing rift even before the start of the series. It had escalated to a point where Sixers were forced to decide between the two stars, and they seem to have chosen Joel. NBA Twitter found the funny side of the matter.
However, Joel Embiid quickly rubbished all those reports with a thorough takedown on Twitter. He emphasized that the Sixers still have the players to win it all with Ben Simmons.
It’s a sad thing for Twitter trolls that Joel Embiid poked so many holes in all of the fanfiction cooked up by reporters. However, the truth needs to prevail at any and every cost. Lies and defamatory tactics like this have never helped us.
