Kevin Durant says he has not spoken to Ben Simmons about the reception he may get from the Philadelphia crowd on Thursday night, when Simmons makes his return to his former arena after being traded to Brooklyn before the deadline.
“Absolutely not. It’s one of those things he’s gonna have to experience for himself,” Durant said. “I can’t go over there, nobody is gonna hold his hand.”
The reception is likely going to be a hostile one, after Simmons’ poor offensive performance in last year’s playoffs preceded an initial ghosting of his teammates and 76ers training camp before staying off the court for the entire regular season before being traded, citing mental health concerns. He was widely roasted on social media by Sixers fans during the season, when the trade was made, and afterward, as fans await to see their former guard on the bench in street clothes come Wednesday, when the Nets come into town.
“I’m sure there’s gonna be some personal attacks, some words that might trigger you personally, but that’s how fans are,” Durant said. “They want to get under our skin and have their voices be heard. Part of the experience of coming to an NBA game is the heckling. Some people don't even enjoy basketball. Their lives are so sh--ty that they just get to aim it at other people so it’s easy to get that kind of release at a basketball game. Ben understands that.
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“Sure, some stuff may be funny. You never know. but at the end of the day, you realize life is amazing, you play the game of basketball for a living, and a little bit of trash talk is what it is.”
Durant experienced some similar venom himself when he returned to Oklahoma City in 2017 after signing with the stacked Warriors the summer before. Simmons won’t be on the court, but he will likely hear it from the Philly crowd all night, just like Durant heard boos throughout that first game back in OKC.
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“Embrace it,” Durant said. “All the greats have been through being called the worst names in the history of the book. The good thing about it is we get a chance to perform and shut the people up. It’s a fun dynamic between fans and players because they really do love us at the end of the day. But a part of their job is to be fans, be fanatics, be radical about it and their team. We understand that as professionals. Some of the stuff may go overboard, but at the end of the day, nothing’s gonna happen to us.”
Simmons likely won’t be the only Nets player hearing the boos, as Sixers fans have been eagerly awaiting this matchup since the trade that brought James Harden to Philadelphia. When asked about the atmosphere he expects to see on Thursday, Kyrie Irving sarcastically said with a laugh:
“Lovely.”
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