Charles Barkley made it emphatically clear in a recent interview that the city of Philadelphia might never forgive Ben Simmons.
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Charles Barkley played on the Philadelphia 76ers for the first 8 seasons of his career. As a rookie, he joined a team coming off a championship the year before he was drafted.
He wasn’t really an NBA player by physique and had a really bad work ethic. It took constant monitoring from Moses Malone and egging on from Julius Erving for Chuck to take off and become an All-Star.
Even after that, he suffered the vagaries of being on a mediocre playoff team in Philly. Fans turned on their team on quite a few occasions. It eventually led to Barkley demanding – and getting – a trade to Phoenix.
However, Charles Barkley is still mainly remembered for his time on the Sixers. Philadelphia recognizes him as one of his own despite his inconsistent play as a youngster.
That’s the kind of growth that he wanted Ben Simmons to make, and the Aussie’s lackadaisical attitude seems to have really cut Chuck to the quick.
Charles Barkley roasts Ben Simmons by citing a hilarious anecdote from his own career
The Ben Simmons saga has gone on long enough for Chuck now. He’s exasperated with the lack of movement with regards to trade by the Sixers front office.
Daryl Morey is reportedly considering a trade built around Jerami Grant from the Detroit Pistons. But there really isn’t concrete news for anyone to read, and Chuck isn’t having it.
Speaking to TMZ Sports, Barkley implored Daryl Morey to wash the Sixers’ hands off the 2-time All-Star. In doing so, he made a hilarious, self-deprecating joke:
“Ben Simmons never gonna play in Philly again. The fans will never forgive him. I know those fans well. I thought my name was Charles Barkley Son of a B*tch for a long time when I was there.”
