The Ben Simmons saga is still a talking point inthe NBA. After long months of stand-off threatening to sit out the entire season if he wasn’t traded, he suddenly re-joined the Philadelphia 76ers only to make things worse.
Far from being determined to fight his way back to the team, Simmons didn’t show a true commitment and instead it only seems like he continues trying to force his way out of Philadelphia.
But the season is underway and it looks really difficult that the Sixers will find a trade partner anytime soon. NBA legend and current analyst Charles Barkley had a lot to say about Simmons’ attitude, and he also took a shot at other players who behaved similarly before.
Charles Barkley calls out Ben Simmonsfor his stance in Philadelphia
Things began to go south for Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers with their defeat to Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference semifinals last season. Since then, nothinghas been the same.
But according to Charles Barkley, the Australian could haveturned things around if he apologized. “If he came out sometime and said, ‘I apologize for not playing better, the criticisms are fair and I’m going to do everything in my power to be a great basketball player,’ I think Philadelphia would have forgiven him,” he told Scott Bordow of Compare.bet.
“Listen, I’m not one of those old guys who feel like I didn’t make any money and I hate on these young guys making all this money. But I thought if you’re making $40 million a year (Simmonsis actually tied down toa five-year, $170 million contractwhich expires in 2025) and people are telling you to get better in basketball, you should get better in basketball,” he added.
Charles Barkley lashes out againstplayerempowermentin NBA
And Simmons’ situation made the former NBA star remember other cases in which players were in a position where they pressed their teams to get a move away. For Barkley, that’s something that needs to change in the league.
“James Harden took the money and said f— you and gave Houston the middle finger,” said Barkley. “Now you got Ben Simmons who they owe $150 million, and he said, f— you, I’m not playing there.
“It’s screwed up. Going forward, you’re going to have to give a guy $150 million or $200 million and if he’s ever unhappy, you’re at his mercy. I don’t think that’s good for our league.”
Barkley has a point, and as he said, this is not the first time we see a case like Simmons. So that’s basically why he thinks that owners will pay attention to this in the next collective bargaining agreement.
