When it comes to mental health issues in the NBA, Ben Simmons has dealt with many. Simmons sat out the 2021-22 NBA season because of his problems and has been relatively quiet about it, until now.
In an interview with the Sydney Morning HeraldSimmons was incredibly candid about the struggles he faced while in Philadelphia during the start of the 2020-21 season.
“He was already going to therapy,” Simmons said. “I got into a really dark place in my life. ‘Why do I feel this way? What is happening to me?’ It was a buildup of everything: all that pressure and multiple things going on with my family. Not sure if you’re aware of that?
The family situation Simmons refers to was incredibly dark. Simmons’ sister, Olivia, accused her half-brother Sean Tribe of sexually abusing her as a child. Simmons was very close to her growing up, and the accusations occurred in early 2021. The article revealed that the family denied all the tweets and that it was also considered defamatory.
It all came to a head during Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks, the game in which Ben Simmons didn’t dunk the ball.
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“If I could come back, I would go up strong, go to the lane,” Simmons said. “But there was so much emphasis at the time. I made a bad play, but a lot of guys made bad plays. I’m not the reason we didn’t win.”
In the immediate aftermath, Simmons was swept up by the city of Philadelphia, and even by his coaches and teammates. Ben immediately asked for a trade out of Philly.
“I definitely didn’t handle it the right way after the season, but there are two sides to it,” Simmons said. “Your teammates are supposed to support you. Your coaches are supposed to back you up. And I didn’t have that at all.”
Ben Simmons’ tenure had great moments, but sadly he will always be remembered for his incredibly toxic ending.
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