Ben Simmons once managed to become arguably one of the most hated players in the league. Such was the hatred that even his noble works off the court were not appreciated by NBA fans. He once had to refrain from associating himself with the charity work he was involved in. More specifically, he was forced to do so because several people were turning down his kind gesture due to one mistake of his.

During his time with the Philadelphia 76ers, the Sixers played the Atlanta Hawks in June 2021 in the second round of the playoffs, when Ben Simmons called upon the wrath of the NBA world. It was Game 7 and the 76ers were leading 78-77. However, in the last few minutes of the game, Simmons confused and angered his fans with a particular play. The three-time NBA All-Star had the golden opportunity to go over the Hawks’ Trae Young for a dunk. However, Simmons instead passed the ball to teammate Matisse Thybulle who was then fouled. The Sixers eventually lost the game that night and Simmons probably lost his entire fandom.

This deeply impacted Simmons’ charity work. The former 76ers star ran the Ben Simmons Family Foundation along with his sister Melissa. They provided kids with warm clothes during the winter and arranged youth leadership programs. However, after the infamous Game 7, Simmons had to remain anonymous while giving away warm clothes in 2021.

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“We were a little bit worried that people in Philly might not wear the coat if they knew it was from Ben Simmons,” said Simmons’ sister, Melissa.

NBA fans reject Ben Simmons’ help

While the Philadelphia 76ers vs Atlanta Hawks game has long been ended, it seems like the Philly fans’ wounds are still fresh. After the controversial game, Simmons went through quite a lot of changes. He was subsequently traded to the Brooklyn Nets and he also spoke about openly his mental health issues on social media platforms.

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However, the fact remains that Sixers fans were deeply angered and disappointed in Ben Simmons. Given that some of the kids even rejected their tech scholarships just because Simmons was associated with spoke volumes. Fans could hardly believe it either.

Here are some of the reactions from NBA Twitter:

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Do you think Philly will be able to forgive the former Sixers star any time soon? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.