76ers fans have been waiting for the moment that Nets guard Ben Simmons entered the city limits for Philadelphia’s game against the Nets on Thursday. As Brooklyn players boarded the bus en route to Wells Fargo Center, Simmons was spotted leaving the team’s hotel, and was greeted in, well, a rather unkind fashion.
Thursday’s game marks Simmons’s return to the arena for the first time since the 2021 playoffs. Beyond Simmons, 76ers guard James Harden will also face his former team.
While Simmons—who has not made his 2021-22 season debut—will not play in Thursday’s game due to back soreness, he is expected to file a grievance against his former team in the coming days, according to Philly Voice’s Kyle Neubeck. Simmons did not play for Philadelphia this year before he was traded to the Nets on Feb. 10. While sitting out, Simmons was not paid and was fined $360,000 for each game—totaling $19 million this season—he missed, per ESPN.
Despite the boos that Simmons will likely hear inside the arena, 76ers coach Doc Rivers said on Tuesday that he believes the All-Star guard should have received a tribute video in his return to Philadelphia.
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