- Simmons in the final year of his contract with Brooklyn
- The Nets struggled to open the NBA season with two losses
- Young fan savaged the Aussie after a recent loss to Orlando
Brooklyn Nets players have rushed to the defence of under-siege Aussie Ben Simmons after a brazen fan delivered a savage two-word insult following the club’s loss to Orlando on the weekend.
Simmons is on the comeback trail from a series of mental and physical injuries and is in the final year of his contract with the Nets, but couldn’t help his side rise to a victory against the Magic on Saturday AEST.
It was the Nets’ second straight loss to open the NBA season and a young fan let Simmons know all about it after the 116-101 loss, saying ‘you’re trash’ to the Aussie as he returned to the locker room.
Throughout his career, Simmons has been a three-time NBA All-Star and was named NBA Rookie of the Year in 2018 but he has experienced a stunning fall from grace in recent years.
Simmons, drafted first overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2016, signed a rookie contract worth $26.6million over four years and later a five-year, $177million extension in 2019.
He has faced multiple injuries, including a foot injury in his rookie year, back and knee issues in subsequent seasons, and missed the entire 2021-22 season due to a back injury.
Simmons was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in 2022 but continued to struggle with injuries, playing only 15 games in the 2023-24 season due to a recurring back issue.
A hoops fan (obscured) sledged Australian basketball player Ben Simmons after the Brooklyn Nets’ recently loss to Orlando
Simmons has battled a series of mental and physical injuries in recent years and is on the comeback trail
That has made him an online target for criticism and this one young fan took it to another level with his brutal assessment, albeit saying it when Simmons had walked well past him.
‘Why didn’t you say it when I was there p****?’ Simmons fired back.
His Nets’ teammates heard it though, with Dennis Schroder coming out of the locker room to confront the young fan.
“Who’s talking s*** to Ben?” Schroder asked.
Security quickly intervened as the young fan’s father became involved, with the incident filmed by onlookers including one who said repeatedly ‘This is going to ESPN’.
It comes as the Aussie’s attempt to return to peak form hit another major roadblock, despite his Nets claiming a major upset road win against Eastern Conference contenders Milwaukee.
The battling Aussie is in the final year of his massive contract with the Nets and is looking to impress for a future deal
While the Nets struggled in their opening two games, they managed to beat heavyweights Milwaukee on the road
While Brooklyn recorded a memorable 115-102 win including 61 points from the combined efforts of Cam Thomas and Schroder, Simmons was put on blast once again over his reluctance to shoot.
The under-fire Australian only had three shot attempts registered for the match and two of those were attempted tip-ins after a missed layup.
But it was a moment when Simmons inexplicably surrendered possession with a clear lane to the rack that had commentators and fans alike stumped.
Simmons instead dished off to Johnson, who passed it right back to the Aussie who fumbled and turned the ball over.
‘He has to go to the basket on that,’ Sarah Kustok said in commentary.
‘He’s playing this year with a mindset of stay healthy for his next contract. That’s what it appears,’ one viewer posted.
Simmons finished with two points, six assists, six rebounds and a steal.
