Charles Barkley Implores the 76ers to Stop Getting Played by Ben Simmons: ‘It’s Time to Kick His A**’
Shortly after declaring he’s “anti-social media” to stay out of trouble, Charles Barkley went on TNT and implored the Philadelphia 76ers to kick Ben Simmons’ ass.
Social media or not, Barkley never shies away from telling what he believes is the blunt truth. Disgruntled Sixers star Ben Simmons recently agreed to meet with a mental health specialist after previously stating he’s not mentally ready to play basketball. Barkley offered a different suggestion to get the All-Star back on the court – “kick his ass.”
“This dude has done everything he can not to be re-recruited. They started off the season begging him to come back,” Barkley said, blasting the team for “massaging” Simmons.
“They wanted to go see him. He said, ‘Don’t come see me’. He came and then he acted like a jerk in practice,” Barkley ranted. “They wanted him back. Then, because he wanted to get paid, he came back and, as I said, he started acting like a jerk and they kicked him out.”
Simmons and the Sixers have been battling since last season’s playoffs, when the 25-year-old All-Star gave a putrid performance. During the offseason, Simmons demanded a trade and the Sixers were willing to consider offers, but had no desire to deal the versatile guard at a discount.
“They said, ‘OK, you said you’ve got some issues’. He said, ‘No, I don’t want to see your guys,’” Barkley continued, referring to the team recommended mental health specialist. “They started fining him again. Now he’s back. They’ve bent over backwards to kiss this dude’s ass. Now they’ve started kicking his ass. There’s only two. You kiss somebody’s ass or you kick somebody’s ass. It’s time to kick his ass.”
Simmons has not played a game for the Sixers this season and his recent claim of mental health concerns has drawn some criticism considering the timeline of when it happened. First, Simmons held out demanding a trade, then he returned to the team to avoid getting fined. He was kicked out of practice for refusing to participate and finally, Simmons stated he wasn’t mentally ready to play.
Watch above via TNT
