Nets' Ben Simmons: Playing For 76ers Was 'Incredible'; Fans Were 'Unbelievable'

The Philadelphia 76ers selected Ben Simmons with the top pick in the NBA draft, but the Brooklyn Nets guard still loves the city.

Simmons talked about his time in Philadelphia on The Old Man and The Three.

He said that Philadelphia is a sports city and that there is more noise and criticism there than in other places. It was amazing to play there. It was amazing for the majority of the time. I had a lot of fun. The fans were really good.

The Simmons story in Philadelphia is not easy to understand.

He was an All-NBA third-team selection and two All-Defensive first-team selections during his four seasons with the 76ers, but on the other hand, he was quite accomplished during his four seasons with the 76ers. In each of the four seasons, the team went to the playoffs.

There was a sense of falling short.

The 76ers never made it past the second round of the playoffs. Simmons never developed an outside shot that would allow opposing defenses to pack the lane and frustrate the Philadelphia offense in the most important moments.

Before or after he was traded to the Nets, the LSU product missed his entire first season with injury and didn't take the court at all in the next two years.

Throw in his poor play in a shocking second-round loss to the Atlanta Hawks in the 2021 playoffs that culminated in him passing up an open dunk opportunity in crunch time of Game 7 and you have a recipe for disaster.

Simmons and the 76ers reached a settlement over his salary dispute, which was related to his absence from the team.

Simmons didn't play in Philadelphia when the Nets came to town, but the fans still booed him on the bench and in warm-ups.

If he is on the court when Brooklyn comes to town, the reception will be the same. Even though he was booed, he still had positive feelings for the city and the fans.