“You Really Believe This Dude?!”: Austin Rivers Calls Out Ben Simmons For His ‘Mental Health’ Facade, Sides With Doc Rivers

Austin Rivers, son of Philadelphia 76ers Head Coach Doc Rivers, calls out Ben Simmons for his ‘mental health’ facade

Ben Simmons is back to being a hot topic, thanks to the ESPN rankings, as well as JJ Redick’s Old Man and The Three podcast. After dominating the majority of the previous off-season, as well as the starting few months of the season, Simmons started to fade a little when injuries prevented him from suiting up after his trade to the Nets.

Ben is a 6’10” point guard, who became the most hated person in the city of Philadelphia, all because he was too afraid to take his shots. Unlike Kyrie Irving, the shots Simmons had to take were on-court, but somehow, he managed to pass on even open layups. This one particular play by Simmons in Game 7 against the Hawks really pushed the crowd, and his team alike.

Simmons was the guest on The Old Man and The Three podcast this week. He spoke to JJ Redick about several things, including his time in Philly, how things ended there, and his mental health.

Also Read: Shaquille O’Neal, who mocked Ben Simmons’ $300,000 Gucci outfit now gives advice on tackling criticism 

Austin Rivers calls out Ben Simmons for his statement regarding Doc Rivers

During his time on the Podcast, Ben spoke about why he came back for those two days of practice with the Sixers. There, he mentioned how he’d told the head coach Doc Rivers that he wasn’t ready, or in a place to be working out. However, Doc threw him in, and then kicked him out of the practice minutes later.

In the post’s comment section, a user commented in favor of Simmons. They said,

“It’s interesting… we (as a society) say that we support mental health, but when someone expresses and comments on a situation in which their mental health was compromised, people make fun of him. I’m glad he spoke up about it, took accountability for his part, and ultimately did what’s best for him.” 

This did not sit well with Doc’s son, Austin Rivers, who is also an NBA player. He replied to the comment saying,

“bro u actually believe this dude? 😂 If y’all only knew….”

Also Read: $6 million Ben Simmons addresses betrayal from his people, mental health, and making Nets debut

I guess things aren’t all that Ben Simmons painted them to be, and Austin might have heard something else from his dad as well.

Ben Simmons’ trauma, whether it was real or not, doesn’t justify throwing his former teammates and coaches under the bus now, especially when he’s no longer linked with the organization.