‘Disgusted with him’: ESPN host goes nuclear on Ben Simmons

An ESPN host has unleashed a scathing rant on Australian NBA player Ben Simmons as he battles through his latest injury setback.

Stephen A Smith eviscerated the Aussie.

Stephen A. Smith isn’t happy with Australian basketball player Ben Simmons.

The ESPN host didn’t hold back in a scathing rant as he tore shreds off the Brooklyn Nets star ahead of the NBA’s in-season tournament final on Sunday.

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Simmons, who missed all of the 2021-22 campaign and was restricted to just 42 games with the Nets last season, has not played since early November after suffering a nerve impingement in his back.

While his latest setback received some positive news, Smith wasn’t havng it as he obliterated the Aussie over his lack of commitment to the game and his unwillingness to compete.

“I am completely disgusted with him. I am completely disgusted with Ben Simmons and I think we all should be,” he said on ESPN.

“I don’t care at this point that he’s injured and the reason why is too much time went by when you were not injured when you were not playing. But you certainly made sure that you’re cheque was in your bank account every single month.

“We understand that mental health is a huge issue, it’s serious and not something to be diminished or maligned in any way. But you know something, you think about your money. Every time you turned around he thought about his money.”

Simmons is once again watching on from the bench. Mitchell Leff/Getty Images/AFP.

Smith is referencing the Philadelphia 76ers who initially withheld around $20 million of Simmons’ salary after he sat out the 2021/22 season, citing mental health.

The 27-year-old and the National Basketball Players Association filed a grievance and eventually settled with the Sixers, which saw him recoup part of the salary according to ESPN.

While Smith stated he was a “fan” of the Aussie, it was his frustrations with the constant interruptions to his playing time that left him seeing red.

“I’m a fan of Ben Simmons. I like him genuinely as a person but I can’t measure my disappointment I have towards him,” he added.

“I watched this man blossom into a star and an All-Star calibre player in this league for years. As a youngster in this league at 6-foot-9, with his ball-handling and his passing and playmaking skills along with his defensive prowess.

“Even with the inability to shoot shots from the perimeter, he was still considered an elite player in this game and somehow some way he let the noise get to him in a way that prevented him from playing the game.”

Stephen A Smith eviscerated the Aussie.

Smith’s most stinging barb of all came as he questioned the Aussie’s “unwillingness to play the game of basketball”.

“Now that we’ve transitioned to this point, where he’s legitimately injured with his back … you’re not delegitimising the injury,” Smith said.

“You believe him and you understand not to sit up there and malign him as if you’re questioning the legitimacy of the injury. We’re not doing that. What we’re saying is we don’t care because if it was not that injury it’d be something else because over the last two to three years what you’ve shown us is an unwillingness to have a passion to play the game of basketball.

“I don’t think the United States should accept it, I don’t think Australia should accept it, I don’t think any place on the planet that loves the game of basketball should co-sign and condone Ben Simmons’ lack of commitment to the game of basketball. Enough is enough. It’s unacceptable.

“You’re too great, you’re too talented, you’re too gifted to be allowing your talents to be wasting away the way that it has. I’m not excusing it anymore. He’s lucky he’s injured because if he weren’t injured I’d be talking about him every chance I got until he gets on the court and shows us his greatness because he can be a great player, a very talented player.

“But enough of this nonsense.”

Originally published as ‘Disgusted with him’: ESPN host goes nuclear on Ben Simmons