Stephen A. Smith reveals brutal anonymous quote on Ben Simmons

Stephen A. Smith shares an anonymous quote crushing Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons.

On Tuesday’s episode of First Take, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith revealed an anonymous quote he received from someone close to the Philadelphia 76ers‘ situation surrounding star player Ben Simmons.

Despite having the No. 1 overall seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs, Philadelphia lost in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in seven games to the No. 5-seeded Atlanta Hawks. While Joel Embiid put forth a herculean effort nightly battling through a torn meniscus, Simmons’ offensive shortcomings were on full display for everyone to see, so much so that he is likely to be traded.

Here is the brutally honest quote on Simmons Smith relayed on live television on Tuesday.

“He doesn’t work, he doesn’t listen and everyone around him is family. And he is constantly babied.”

Stephen A. Smith shares anonymous quote ripping Ben Simmons to shreds

Simmons was the former No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. He went one-and-done at LSU, but did not play for Philadelphia until 2017-18 due to a foot injury. While he is a three-time NBA All-Star, a two-time All-Defensive player and a 2020 All-NBA performer, Simmons not showing up at all on offense vs. the Hawks has the rabid Philadelphia fanbase completely turning on him.

Despite being 6-foot-10 with great defensive prowess and incredible ball-handling skills, he cannot shoot. He was a horrendous liability at the free-throw line in the NBA playoffs. He refuses to take any 3-pointers. His jump shot is so ineffective, one would have to believe that he does not know if he is left-handed or if he is right-handed. However, Smith’s relayed quote says even more.

What that piece of information signifies is Simmons has no intentions whatsoever of evolving his game. At 24 years old, this is who he is. Simmons is not playing for the Australian national team in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, despite being their best player. One would think playing against inferior competition in the Olympics would improve his overall offensive abilities, but here we are.

Being coddled and unwilling to adapt means the 76ers have no choice but to part ways with him.