Stephen A. Smith went off on Brooklyn Nets All-Star Ben Simmons, who was ruled out for Game 4 of the first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics after reports indicated he was going to play.
"I feel bad for anybody who was his teammate," Smith said of Simmons. "He quit on LSU. He quit on the Philadelphia 76ers. And now he ain't showing up for the Brooklyn Nets. We can point to all of the excuses, all the rationale behind it that we want to. I do recall, despite him not playing, he still filed a grievance to collect 20 million dollar that he has not earned. This is one of the most pathetic situations that I have ever seen in my life.
He ain't going to war, he ain't going in the octagon, he's not going in the boxing ring. It's pulling teeth to get this man to play basketball. It's pathetic, it's sad, and at the end of the day when the NBA gets in the collective bargaining table and they go after the players in terms of a pay for play stipulation in the collective bargaining agreement, it's going to be called the Ben Simmons rule."
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Simmons awoke with back soreness Sunday after practicing Saturday.
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The Nets trail the Celtics three games to zero in the series and it is unclear if the Nets falling to the brink of elimination factored into the decision, but head coach Steve Nash was asked after Sunday’s practice if it would be fair to bring Simmons back into that kind of situation.
“That’s a good question,” Nets head coach Steve Nash said, per ESPN. “Part of the decision has to be Ben’s. I think that he has to be all-in. And so. That is a part of the equation, that’s fair. It’s not all on Ben. It’s not like, ‘Ah, come on, you didn’t play Ben.’ This is a unique situation. He’s never played with his teammates. And to go into a playoff situation after a long period of inactivity and injury is not straightforward.”
The last game Simmons played in was on June 20th, 2021 when the 76ers were eliminated from the playoffs by the Atlanta Hawks.