Brian Goorjian reveals Ben Simmons’ classy gesture to Boomers

Ben Simmons withdrew from the Boomers squad ahead of the Olympics, but his special gesture to the team shows he truly does care after all.

Boomers head coach Brian Goorjian has revealed Ben Simmons’ incredibly kind gesture to the team ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.

The Philadelphia 76ers’ star withdrew from the Boomers squad before the Games, declaring he needed to take some time to work on his shooting form that came under fire throughout his team’s playoff run.

The 25-year-old was often jeered whenever he went to the free throw line, such was his tendency to miss the basket from the charity stripe. In fact, Simmons only made 25 free-throws from 73 attempts in the playoffs.

But despite Simmons passing on Tokyo, Goorjian said he was with the Boomers every step of the way.

“Leading in to the competition, he was tremendous,” Goorjian told Triple M.

Boomers head coach Brian Goorjian revealed Ben Simmons bought the team’s coaching staff a bottle of wine.

“He sent the whole coaching staff a beautiful bottle of wine, and all the support staff.

“He sent all the team a gift and gave us his best wishes, and I know he has got a few people he’s close to in it (the team).

“He handled himself with class right through it, and yes he did deliver and stay in contact with us.”

Simmons unfortunately did not get to be a part of the culture within the tight-knit Boomers squad — a culture Goorjian firmly believes led the team to a bronze medal in Tokyo.

“We knew it was special, we knew we were part of something special, and it’s no good if only 15 people know about it,” Goorjian said.

“It (the culture) had a big part to play in motivating the team for the most important game in Boomer history, and that’s the game against Slovenia.”

While culture is one thing, the pressure cooker environment that is an Olympic medal match is something completely different.

For Goorjian, there was one standout player that helped him not only shoulder the pressure themselves, but played a vital role in creating the Boomers culture Australia fell in love with throughout the Olympics.

Goorjian was effusive in his praise for Patty Mills and his role in creating the Boomers culture we’ve grown to love.

“I handle pressure pretty well, but I could feel the responsibility,” Goorjian said.

“I thought Patty was carrying a heavy load, he really helped me personally just on the ‘Gold Vibes’ and the drive, and not backing down to the challenge.

“I thought he led from in front, and it was a special culture.

“Leading into the last game, where we had an issue with Luka Doncic, so we put Mathisse (Thybulle) on him which made Delly (Matt Dellavedova) go to the bench and put the ball in Patty’s hands.

“Patty looked at me like he relished it, ‘I want the ball in my hands, I want to carry the load in this game, give me that thing’.

“There was a steely will in him all through that game, ‘I’m going to deliver, I want this responsibility’. It was real, it was every day.

“It wasn’t just gold medal, it was gold medal standard. To the bus that you drive, to the shoes that you wear, to the music that we play, to the way we practice, and he drove that.”