Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid were teammates with the 76ers from 2016-2022, but apparently their relationship didn’t extend beyond the court.
In an interview with ESPN’s Nick Friedell, Simmons, who was sent from Philadelphia to Brooklyn in a February trade, revealed that he “never really spoke” to Embiid.
“I don’t think there was really a relationship there,” Simmons told Friedell. “Like in terms of a friendship? You can try as hard as you want to try to be close to somebody, be their friend, whatever it is, but everyone is different as people, so for me, it’s never personal.
“I don’t have any anger or hate towards him. He is who he is and I am who I am. And we’ve got our personal lives. And work is basketball, so in that moment, my goal is to win and I got to win with Jo. He’s a great player, we just didn’t get it done.”
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The Embiid-Simmons era ended in ugly fashion. The Sixers lost to the Hawks in Game 7 of the 2021 Eastern Conference Semifinals, and Embiid and Philly coach Doc Rivers both commented on Simmons’ poor performance, including his infamous decision to pass up a wide open dunk. That turned out to be Simmons’ final game in a 76ers uniform.
After sitting out the start of the 2021-22 season, Simmons eventually landed in Brooklyn. Embiid told Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix in March that he had not spoken to Simmons before or after the trade.
“I don’t have any hard feelings,” Embiid said. “I don’t have any hate toward him. I wouldn’t mind being friends. That’s just me. I don’t care. Honestly. I respect the decision he made. I think it’s unfortunate what happened, but to me it’s whatever.”
Now, Embiid and Simmons are looking to move forward as members of two Eastern Conference contenders. While he wasn’t able to suit up for the Nets last season because of a back injury, it’s clear that Simmons feels much more comfortable on his new team.
“I got support from all these guys, the coaching staff, the organization, so it’s up to me to go out there to do my job now and work. … It feels like home,” Simmons said. “It feels normal to be here and come to work.”
Simmons will make his Brooklyn regular season debut when the Nets open their 2022-23 campaign with a home game against the Pelicans on Wednesday, Oct. 19.
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