Ben Simmons responds to reports of break-up, childish text message move

Ben Simmons has responded after being accused of some poor WhatsApp group chat etiquette as rumours about his relationship swirled.

Ben Simmons isn’t naive to the rumours running rampant about his status with the Brooklyn Nets and his relationship with fiancee Maya Jama.

The Nets guard returned to Twitter on Wednesday, following a two-month hiatus, and tweeted, “slow news day”, with a crying-laughing emoji, the New York Post reports.

Simmons also re-posted a tweet by Jama, in which the British TV presenter and model wrote “Stop believing ‘sources’ in papers plz”.

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Jama’s tweet came Sunday, a day after reports emerged she had allegedly called off the couple’s engagement and that the pair were “heartbroken” over the break-up.

Simmons’ tweet could have also been a response to a report from NBA insider Ric Bucher, who claimed the Aussie NBA star left a group chat without replying to Nets teammates who asked him to play in their must-win Game 4 of their playoff series against Boston last season. Brooklyn was swept by the Celtics in the first round.

Ben Simmons and Maya Jama appear to have downplayed reports of their break-up. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)

“They’re having a team chat before Game 4, thinking he’s going to play against the Boston Celtics,” Bucher said on The Herd last week. “From what I’m told, Ben just left the chat.

“They asked him, ‘Are you going to play?’ Ben left the chat. Like he didn’t even answer the question, just left the chat. And KD (Kevin Durant) is like, ‘This is what I signed up for? This is who I’m playing with?’”

On Wednesday, The Athletic’s Shams Charania denied Bucher’s report during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.

“This never happened … it’s an amazing story but it didn’t happen,” said Charania.

Simmons also re-tweeted a clip of that exchange, suggesting once again he was bemused by suggestions of his text message etiquette.

Ben Simmons will finally suit up for the Nets this season. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

A three-time All-Star, Simmons is currently training in New York and continuing recovery from back surgery he underwent in May.

“He’s looking good,” Charania said. “There are high expectations (in Brooklyn) for Simmons. He’s supposed to be ready for training camp … and he’s doing more and more on the court.”

Simmons sat out the entire 2021-22 NBA season due to mental health issues and a lingering back injury, including the first half of the season with the Sixers, and then the remainder of the season after Philadelphia traded him to the Nets for James Harden in February.

Simmons’ latest tweet also came a day after The New York Post confirmed that Durant — who requested a trade out of Brooklyn in June — wants General Manager Sean Marks and head coach Steve Nash gone.

On Monday, The Post confirmed Durant issued an ultimatum to Nets owner Joe Tsai at a face-to-face meeting in London, telling Tsai to choose between him or Marks and Nash.

This story first appeared on the New York Post and was reproduced with permission