Ben Simmons Has Lost Over $19M In Fines, Hasn’t Cleared Paycheck Since Oct. 1
Ben Simmons continues to tell the Philadelphia 76ers that he is not mentally ready to play, “not now and not ever in Philadelphia,” writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.
Simmons continues to work out separately with his own group of trainers and organized his own runs with local players.
Simmons has begun working out at the 76ers’ practice facility again.
The most recent event that pushed him back to the Sixers’ facility, a source says, was when a photo of him playing in a 5-on-5 run with local guys and former NBA players like Dion Waiters and Dionte Christmas at Cherry Hill High School East (New Jersey) was posted on social media.
The standoff between Simmons and the 76ers began when they tried to trade him for James Harden. According to sources, Simmons is upset that Joel Embiid seemed to blame him for their loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Shelburne notes that Simmons didn’t blame Embiid for his poor showing in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Toronto Raptors in 2019.
When Simmons continued to train in Los Angeles during the offseason, Rich Paul spent weeks trying to convince him to return to Philadelphia as a sign of good faith. Simmons didn’t want to return until any circumstances. Paul told Simmons that they had no leverage if he didn’t at least return to the team.
The return didn’t go well and he was offended that the 76ers still fined him for not playing in the final preseason game even after he rushed to arrive at the rein before tipoff.
Simmons has lost over $19 million in fines since the season began and hasn’t cleared a paycheck since the $8.25 million that was due to him on Oct. 1st.
Every two weeks the team sends a notice with an explanation of all the fines he has accumulated for failing to render services, instead of a $1.375 million paycheck.
Simmons could lose another $12 million if he doesn’t play at all the rest of the season.
The situation will likely be settled in arbitration.
“We don’t give a f— about the money,” one source close to Simmons says. “That’s not what this is. It’s hard for people to understand. But if you believe in what you’re doing and that this is not the right situation for you, and you’re trying to get to a better place, the money doesn’t matter. Obviously it’s a financial hit. But you adjust.”
As an unvaccinated player, Simmons had to take a daily COVID-19 test in order to enter the facility. But that requirement was dropped after sources say Simmons chose to get vaccinated.
Despite having a long standoff with the 76ers, sources say he still watches every game.
“At the end of the day, it’s still his team,” a source says. “And he still wants to play.”
