Stephen A. Smith Blasts ‘Sorry, Trifling Ass’ Ben Simmons for Trolling During 76ers Playoff Loss

Former Philadelphia 76ers forward Ben Simmons decided to have some fun at his old team’s expense when the Sixers got blown out in Game 7 against the Boston Celtics.

According to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, it was a hypocritical move.

While the game was still on, Simmons posted a photo of his living room on Instagram. He had the game on his TV and a glass of wine on the coffee table, seemingly demonstrating he was enjoy watching his former team lose after the two parties had an unceremonious split.

Ben Simmons posted this on his IG story 🤷‍♂️😬 pic.twitter.com/N848q90S7U

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 14, 2023

On Tuesday’s episode of his Know Mercy podcast, Smith criticized Sixers guard James Harden’s performance before turning his attention to Simmons.

“The only thing worse than James Harden was that sorry, trifling ass Ben Simmons,” Smith said. “How the hell are you gonna say something about any basketball player?”

Since getting traded to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Harden, Simmons has yet to match his productivity from his Sixers years. He held out until he was traded to Brooklyn, then sustained a back injury that sidelined him for the rest of the 2021-2022 season. He played just 42 games in the 2022-2023 season before being shut down with a knee injury.

Things started falling apart with Simmons during the 2021 playoffs. The Sixers were upset by the Atlanta Hawks in the second round, and much of the talk about the series loss focused on Simmons’ apparent unwillingness to shoot the ball. That, coupled with the injuries that people think came from nowhere, has given him the reputation as being afraid to play after the meltdown against the Hawks.

“How the hell are you talking about a basketball player when you treat putting on a basketball uniform and dribbling on the basketball court to play… as if somebody asks you to get on the front lines in Ukraine to fight Russia?” Smith said. “That’s how scared he is to play basketball.

“Boy, I better not see him. I better not see Ben Simmons. All I’m gonna do is look at him. It’s gonna be one these: ‘Sorry ass…'”