Andrew Bogut weighs in on ‘ugly’ Ben Simmons situation

With the Ben Simmons saga showing no signs of a resolution, Andrew Bogut has revealed what he’d do if he was in the Aussie star’s shoes.

As the messy divorce between Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers continues to rumble on, Australian basketball great Andrew Bogut has weighed in on the situation, summing it up in one word: “ugly”.

Simmons was sent home from practice on Wednesday after he elected not to participate in a defensive drill.

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His reluctance to join in comes just a day after he showed up to 76ers training on Tuesday wearing grey tracksuit pants with his phone in the back pocket and later refused to join in the team’s huddle at the end of practice.

The 25-year-old’s recent indiscretions are the latest in a long rap sheet of incidents since his horror offensive showing in the 2021 NBA Playoffs.

Bogut, who enjoyed a 13-year career in the NBA, believed Simmons’ recent acts are part of a larger plot to ensure he sees every cent of his mammoth contract.

“[It’s] Ugly,” Bogut told SEN. “It’s not pretty.

“It’s not good for either party, in my opinion. Ben’s side of things, training with your phone in your pocket, not being glued in to what’s going on.

Simmons continues to be a nuisance at the 76ers. Picture: Christian Petersen / Getty Images North America / AFP

“My theory, which I think is plausible, is that he showed up technically, so he has to be paid.

“If he does the bare minimum and they ask him to then leave the team because he’s detrimental culturally and just doing what he’s doing, then I think by league rules if they ask him to leave he gets his full pay.

“This could be a little bit of a chess game.”

Where Simmons ends up next is anybody’s guess, and it remains to be seen exactly how long the current situation between himself and the 76ers will last.

Sadly for Bogut, it isn’t the first time he’s witnessed Simmons show this type of behaviour.

“Unfortunately, he has form doing these kinds of things; we experienced it with the national team,” Bogut said.

“There’s not going to be too much sympathy for him, but hopefully they can sort it out and both parties can have something positive to come out of it.”

Andrew Bogut labelled the Simmons situation as ‘ugly’. Picture: Matt King / Getty Images

Bogut was a key figure in the Boomers’ set-up and courted Simmons to line up for the team but to no avail.

The 36-year-old enjoyed a glittering NBA career after being selected with the first overall pick of the 2005 draft, and won his only NBA championship in 2015 with the Golden State Warriors.

Given his vast experience at the highest level of basketball, Bogut saw plenty throughout his career.

When asked what he would do if he was in Simmons’ shoes, Bogut’s response was simple: “make your own decisions and be professional”.

“It’s paramount that you come in, whether you want to be in Philly or not,” Bogut said. “Just show up.

“You don’t have to do all the kumbaya stuff, you don’t have to hang around in the locker room, you don’t have to shoot the breeze with the players and the coaches and act like you like them.

“Don’t do any of that. Just show up, give 100 per cent when you’re on the court, and leave the gym.

“I think if he does that, everything will work out.”