“They started off the season begging him to come back, so they have massaged him Shaq”: Charles Barkley on Ben Simmons agreeing to meet a specialist assigned by the 76ers

Former NBA MVP and TNT analyst Charles Barkley addresses Ben Simmons’ latest update of agreeing to meet a mental health specialist as recommended by the Sixers.

The deadlock between Ben Simmons and the Sixers might finally be over. As per reports, the All-Star guard met with a team-recommended medical specialist to discuss his mental health on Monday.

However, when one feels the situation might be seeing the light of the day, there is another roadblock. A case in point is when Simmons agreed to practice with the Sixers. Nonetheless, the Sixers point guard would behave in an unprofessional manner, resulting in his suspension.

A week back, Simmons was fined $360,000 for missing the game against the Detroit Pistons. With the 6″10′ guard set to lose millions, he finally agreed to meet a mental health specialist, as prescribed by the Sixers. During the latest episode of Inside the NBA, Charles Barkley seemed relieved upon learning the above update on the Sixers point guard.

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Barkley added how the Philly team made several attempts to reach out to Simmons. However, the former rookie of the year paid no heed to their requests.

Charles Barkley talks about the Philadelphia 76ers’ constant efforts to reach out to Ben Simmons, despite the latter acting like a je*k.

The latest episode of TNT’s Inside the NBA had the host of the show Ernie Johnson provide an update on the Simmons-Sixers saga. Johnson stated that the Simmons had seen someone appointed by his team. The 25-year old had agreed to co-operate with the organization.

On learning upon the update, analyst and Hall of Famer Charles Barkley seemed appeased and would say the following.

“This dude has done everything he can not to be re-recruited. They started off the season begging him to come back, so they have massaged him Shaq,” said Barkley.

“They wanted to go see him. He said, ‘Don’t come see me’. He came and then acted like a je*k in practice. They wanted him back. Then cause he wanted to get paid, he came back and started acting like a je*k and they kicked him out. They gave him another chance, they said, ‘Okay you got some issues, he said I don’t wanna see your guys.’ They start fining him again, now he’s back. They’ve been over backwards to kiss this dude’s a**, now they start kicking his a**. There are only two you kiss somebody’s a** or kick their a**.”

“This dude has done everything he can not to be re-recruited.”

Chuck talks about Ben Simmons and how the Sixers should move going forward. pic.twitter.com/hVvxHDDRJZ

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) November 10, 2021

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There is no escaping Barkley’s brutal honesty. Having played in Philadelphia, Chuck understands the sentiments of the fans there. Thus one hopes the situation between the Sixers organization and Simmons is settled amicably.