Ben Simmons is one of the most trolled players in the league. While the trolling is usually harmless, a lot of it has devolved into abuse, and Simmons has had to deal with it in his own way. When speaking to Tommy Alter of The Young Man and the Three, Simmons expressed genuine shock at the way fans hurl abuses and insults at players and walk away scot-free.
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He and teammate Cam Johnson discussed this unfortunate aspect of the modern game. As players who’ve been in the league for 9 and 6 years respectively, they both agreed that they’ve learned to tune out the sound from fans. Despite this, they are still shocked sometimes when they hear something particularly nasty from the stands. Simmons said,
“Majority of the time, people talking sh*t doesn’t matter… I was like, ‘Isn’t it crazy a grown a** man can come to a game and say whatever they want with no repercussions… but it is what it is, it’s part of the game,’ I said. They just abuse us.”
"Isn't it crazy a grown a** man can come to a game and say whatever they want with no repercussions… but it is what it is, it's part of the game." — Ben Simmons and Cam Johnson discuss fans talking sh*t during games pic.twitter.com/MlIvoDw0zs
— TheYoungManAndTheThree (@OldManAndThree) January 24, 2025
As much as it is “just a part of the game,” Simmons has claimed the secret to dealing with fan hate is very simple. He told Alter and Johnson that he keeps his circle of friends close.
“At the end of the day, we gotta focus on what we do. Majority of the time, what people are saying has nothing to do with what we’re doing, or it doesn’t affect us. We go into the locker room, no one else is in that locker room with us. Keep your circle small and just keep working. That’s what I do.”
As a player, Ben Simmons knows that despite what fans may say to him, he has a job to do on the court, and as long as he keeps that in mind, he’s able to power through.
