An interesting perspective to consider.
Ben Simmons' NBA career continued its downward trajectory last season as the former All-Defense guard appeared in only 15 games for the Brooklyn Nets in 2023-24. Lingering back injuries have completely sapped Simmons of the abilities he once boasted as a max contract player for the Philadelphia 76ers. His exit from the franchise was ugly for all sorts of reasons, but there's not much he can do about injury except rehab and hope it gets better. So far, that hasn't worked out.
That's when I was like, f--- this dude. If I get an opportunity to play against this dude, I'm just going to be an a--hole." It is an interesting perspective to hear because it serves as a reminder that situations like the Simmons trade saga doesn't just serve as fodder for sports talk radio. It affects everybody around him. In Niang's case he bet his financial future on playing with one of the game's top passers, only for Simmons to refuse to show up to work. And there was absolutely nothing Niang or any of his teammates could do about it. They just had to roll with the punches and see what happened.
In this particular instance Niang's issues ended up solved. Simmons was moved later that season for James Harden, an even better passer whose gravity left Niang wide-open more often than not. Playing alongside the former league MVP led Niang to sign a three-year, $25 million deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers last offseason.
So it all worked out for Niang. Not so much for Simmons. Especially since this is unlikely to be the last time we hear a former teammate break down their negative feelings about the end of his time in Philly.Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Simone Biles appears to fire back at former teammate's critical remarks after winning goldSimone Biles seemingly fired shots at former Olympic teammate MyKayla Skinner, who offered critical remarks of the U.S. team before the Paris Olympics.
Read more »
Simone Biles seemingly shades former teammate MyKayla Skinner after winning gold medal at 2024 Paris OlympicsBiles, who became the most decorated gymnast in US history after Tuesday’s win, seemingly clapped back at her former teammate in a tongue-in-cheek social media post.
Read more »
Former Matthew Stafford Teammate Challenges Rams QB 'I'm Going to Catch a Pick'Former teammate of Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford challenges him ahead of their matchup this upcoming season.
Read more »
Philadelphia 76ers Announce Signing of Paul George's Former TeammateThe 76ers have signed a new NBA free agent
Read more »
Paul George Reveals Former Star Teammate Endorsed Sixers CoachLos Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard endorsed Nick Nurse.
Read more »
Jayson Tatum's Former Boston Celtics Teammate Calls Out Steve KerrBoston Celtics star Jayson Tatum did not play in USA vs. Serbia
Read more »