‘Worst I’ve ever seen’: Ben Simmons goes viral after hitting new low
Aussie NBA star Ben Simmons has hit rock bottom after a disastrous moment saw him go viral for all the wrong reasons.
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Aussie NBA star Ben Simmons has been absolutely trashed after he went viral for all the wrong reasons once again against his former team the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Sixers are having a nightmare season but snapped a five-game losing streak with a 113-98 win over Simmons’ Brooklyn Nets.
It’s Philadelphia’s third win from 15 games this season, while the Nets dropped to 6-10 for the year with both languishing down the bottom half of the Eastern Conference.
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But while the loss was bad for his team, it was a night to forget for Simmons especially on his return to the Wells Fargo Centre in Philadelphia.
After being drafted No. 1 by the 76ers in 2016, Simmons played four seasons in Philadelphia until the infamous Game 7 meltdown against the Hawks in 2021.
It saw the end of Simmons’ time in Philadelphia after a season-long holdout before he was moved to the Nets.
Having been a rookie of the year, two-time All-Defensive First Team player and three-time All-Star at Philadelphia, Simmons is nowhere near the player he once was.
And a couple of horror moments made that fact all too painfully clear.
Playing 26 minutes, Simmons scored two points, four rebounds and four assists as well as a block.
Midway through the second quarter with the Nets down 40-31, Simmons’ teammate Jalen Wilson kept a ball in at the edge of the court and threw a perfect pass to the Aussie, who had the simplest of lay-ups to add two more points.
But so low is his confidence that Simmons botched even that in an attempt so bad it’s gone viral.
In commentary, it was originally believed he must have been blocked, but replays quickly showed the two 76ers defenders were nowhere near Simmons, and he just butchered the play.
The video has been spread far and wide on social media, with Barstool Sports’ version of the video closing in on a million views on its own.
Fans savaged the horrific attempt.
Josh Reynolds of the That’s Ball Folks Podcast wrote: “I unfortunately cannot stop watching this Ben Simmons layup attempt … Sheesh man.”
The Brooklyn Netcast account posted: “Ben Simmons seriously isn’t an NBA player anymore man.”
“Ben Simmons with the worst layup I ever seen LMFAOOO,” one X user wrote.
“We was making fun of Ben Simmons for not shooting but maybe we should’ve left bro alone because WTF,” another account posted.
Another commented: “I am starting to feel bad for Ben Simmons.”
NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Sean Kane tweeted: “The decline of Ben Simmons is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. He certainly had his limitations as a young player but he was still one of the more dynamic talents in the league. 3-time All-Star … To see what he’s become now, still just 28 years old … truly hard to believe.”
Another added that due to his Supermax deal, Simmons is on $US40,338,144 ($A62m) this season, meaning he made around $500,000 for his night’s work.
The horror lay up wasn’t the only facepalm moment of the night.
In the fourth quarter as the Nets took a 90-89 lead, Simmons went for a floater, but turned it into an airball with the 76ers claiming the rebound.
Simmons was given a hostile return to his old stomping ground, booed when he checked in and out of the game and basically did anything on the court.
When Simmons botched his layup and in the third quarter when he appeared to slip on the floor, the 76ers fans cheered.
Before the game, Simmons said of the booing: “I love being in arenas where it’s loud and people are booing and all that stuff. So, it comes with the game. It’s a part of it. And I love it.”
Originally published as ‘Worst I’ve ever seen’: Ben Simmons goes viral after hitting new low