Speaking on his podcast, The Stephen A. Smith Show, Stephen Smith recently went on a rant against 2016 NBA draft 1st pick Ben Simmons. Simmons has been continuously criticized for his attitude, and lack of playing time in recent seasons. He earned a whopping $37,893,408 from the Nets last season and played just 42 games in the NBA. According to What are NBA Celebs Upto?, even Shaquille O’Neal agrees with Stephen Smith, reposting his rant on his Instagram story.
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Simmons is expected to be 100% fit for the new season, with the Brooklyn Nets. However, Simons recently claimed that he considers Philadelphia his second home. He will want to be traded to the 76ers if the situation arises again in his career, according to The Athletic.
Shaquille O’Neal supports Stephen A. Smith’s take on Ben Simmons
Smith has talked about Ben Simmons, multiple times recently. The latest attack came with the suggestion that Simmons is simply interested in ensuring he gets paid by his teams.
Smith claimed that he was pissed off at Simmons and that he has been the “Mr. Irrelevant” of the NBA for the last two years. The analyst went on to talk about how he never forgets his paychecks:
“I’m pretty pissed off at Ben Simmons right now. I think Ben Simmons at this particular point is trifling as hell. And I say that respectfully because I like him. Last year, he came up to me and really opened up and expressed himself. And I really appreciated that. But I have a problem with him. He’s talking before he actually does. This brother has been the basketball version of Mr. Irrelevant for the last two years. You know what I noticed about Ben Simmons? He always makes sure he gets his money. He’s never so disallusioned or foggy that he forgets when that check gets deposited. Sitting on the bench in orange one week and yellow another. Looking fly as hell. Tremendous basketball player. And to be clear, ain’t shit as a competitor. Enough of the talk, I want to see Ben Simmons playing basketball!”
Smith’s patience is undoubtedly running thin, and he simply wants to see the 2016 draft’s first pick playing basketball. His sentiments seemed to find a sympathizer in Shaquille O’Neal, who shared the story on his Instagram.
Shaquille O’Neal criticized Ben Simmons for making excuses
Shaquille O’Neal’s subtle sharing of the clip is not the only time he has criticized Ben Simmons. Speaking on The Big Podcast in October 2022, Shaq claimed that it was not okay for Ben Simmons to whine so much.
He talked about how millions of fans paid a lot of money to be watching him play. While his complaints might have led to sympathy from some avenues, Shaq claimed that he didn’t want to hear any of it.
He talked about how fans work hard, and spend money to buy good seats to watch NBA games. However, Simmons’ attitude of late has been disrespectful not just to his teams, but to his fans as well.
