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Ben Simmons certainly shouldn’t expect any brotherly love from a city whose sports fans once infamously booed Santa Claus. And that’s perfectly OK.
The three-time NBA All-Star won’t be in uniform Thursday night in Philadelphia, but he will be seated on the visiting bench when the Nets visit the Sixers for the first time since the Feb. 10 trade that brought Simmons to Brooklyn as the lead component of their return for dumping James Harden.
Simmons clearly could have remained in New York to continue rehabbing his balky back and ramping up his conditioning to make his season debut with the Nets, but he made the right call in deciding to face the music and the boobirds in Philly after opting not to suit up for the Sixers this season and requesting a trade. He later cited mental health concerns for continuing to stay away from the team.