LeBron James gives Aussie Ben Simmons a cautionary welcome to the NBA

BEN Simmons must have felt brave to send a cheeky warning to mentor LeBron James. The King’s response immediately put the rookie in his place.

Lesson learned.

YOU can forgive Aussie Ben Simmons for trying to throw just a tiny bit of shade at LeBron James.

After all, the freakish point-forward was still buzzing after being selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the No. 1 pick of the 2016 NBA Draft.

He was speaking to a mentor — the man he has most looked up to in recent years — that in the blink of an eye transformed from hero to just a fellow-NBA player.

LeBron James was less forgiving.

The son of Melbourne Tigers great David Simmons told The Dan Patrick Show he was summarily put in his place by the NBA Finals MVP.

The Louisiana State University forward revealed he was speaking with LeBron via a video link-up at his private party with friends and family after his huge draft day when he couldn’t stop himself from dropping his first sledge against the Cavaliers championship player.

Skip to the 2.30 minute mark to see how Simmons explained his chat with LeBron.

“He (James) said congratulations, and I told him I was looking forward to finally matching up against him in the pre-season,” Simmons said.

“He flipped the camera, and it was the championship trophy, so I couldn’t say anything back.”

It was the King’s perfect: “welcome to the major league, rookie”.

The friendly banter shows how close the pair have become.

Simmons signed with agent Rich Paul earlier this year, linking up with James’ management team at Klutch Sports.

Ben Simmons covers SLAM the same as LeBron did before his draft. Don't tell me they're about to force feed him too. pic.twitter.com/8pIo8IiCNK

— böb (@ChickenNGreens) June 22, 2016

Simmons also told Dan Patrick he intends to continue to wear his same No. 25 that he wore at LSU and his father preferred throughout his NBL career.

Meanwhile, 76ers president Bryan Colangelo said he expects Simmons to become his team’s centrepiece.

“He’s a facilitator, a distributor and he’s going to have the ball in his hands a lot,” Colangelo said.

“He’s going to make everyone on the floor better. He’s going to make our entire team better.” It’s the expectations of being the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft, something that only happens about once a generation in Philadelphia.

No. 1 with a bullet.

The 20-year-old Australian was the first of three first-round picks taken by the Sixers Thursday night. Despite a collection of players drafted in the lottery in recent years, Philadelphia is turning to Simmons to be the focal point.

Philadelphia coach Brett Brown has a challenge in finding where Simmons, a 6-foot-10 former LSU forward will play in the NBA. The Sixers are flush with big men, and Simmons is just another big body. However, they lack depth in the back-court, meaning Simmons could be asked to play guard despite his size.

Simmons doesn’t necessarily need a position, he said confidently at his introductory press conference.

“I can play anywhere on the floor and contribute,” he said.

“You can put me anywhere one-through-five on either offence or defence.”

And it’s very likely he’ll be an amoeba of sorts for Brown and play all five positions at one point or another.

Got skillz.

He is a superb ball handler for his size and is an excellent passer. He also can drive to the basket and has an NBA-ready body to play physically underneath.

The only thing lacking in his game at the moment is a consistent jump shot, but it is something the Sixers feel can be developed, and Brown has a great relationship already with Simmons that the team is confident he is the coach who can develop it.

Brown coached Simmons’ father, Dave, in Australia in the 1990s and got to know Ben through that relationship.

Ben Simmons said he feels really comfortable with Brown because of that pre-existing relationship and said he couldn’t ask for a better scenario to begin his professional career.

“It’s a very special situation,” Simmons said.

“This is very rare, but it was the perfect timing for me. I’m definitely in the right situation.”

The Sixers also added a pair of international prospects, selecting forward Timothe Luwawu from France with the No. 24 selection and, two picks later, shooting guard Furkan Korkmaz of Turkey. In Turkey, Korkmaz was a teammate of 2014 draft pick Dario Saric, who is expected to join the Sixers next season.

Luwawu was also at the press conference Friday and stated that being drafted by the 76ers was the best day of his life.

“These players ... are just a part of the story as it unfolds,” Colangelo said. “We’re excited about our future and we can’t wait to get started.”

— with AP