The state of Ben Simmons’ mental health was called into question by many on social media after a video showed the new Nets guard at team shootaround on Monday after spending the entire season away from the 76ers, which was accompanied by Simmons telling his former team that he needed time to address his mental health before playing this season.
But Simmons was on the bench during the Nets’ win over the Kings on Monday night, and spoke with reporters for the first time all season on Tuesday, and the change of scenery seems to have helped his mental state. To those who feel his sudden change of outlook puts his previous mental health into doubt, Simmons had this to say:
“They should be happy I'm smiling, honestly,” Simmons said. “I've had some dark times over these last six months, and I’m just happy to be in this situation with this team and this organization. People are gonna say what they want…people are always gonna have their own opinions.”
As for what contributed to his mental health struggles in Philadelphia, Simmons declined to elaborate, but did say that his mental health had “nothing” to do with his eventual exit.
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“For me, the mental health has nothing to do with the trade,” Simmons said. “It was a bunch of things I was dealing with as a person in my personal life that I don’t want to go into depth with. But I’m here now…I’m focused on getting on the floor and building something great here.”
Still, Simmons made it clear that mental health was an issue down the stretch of his Sixers tenure, leading him to never step on the floor as a Sixer this season following last year’s playoff slump and the trade rumors that followed after he initially refused to report to training camp. But he is ready for a new beginning in Brooklyn.
“It just piled up. A bunch of things that had gone on over the years, to where I knew I wasn’t myself and needed to get back to being myself and being happy as a person and taking care of my well-being,” Simmons said. “That was the major thing for me. It wasn’t about the basketball or the money…I want to get back to being who I am and playing basketball at that level and being myself.”
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