‘Bad Advice in His Corner’: Shaquille O’Neal Blames Ben Simmons for His Sticky Situation With 76ers

Published 10/06/2021, 9:30 AM EDT

The Ben Simmons and Philadelphia 76ers fiasco is now the topic of conversation on almost every podcast, every interview, and every debate. With Simmons still absent from preseason because of his threat to sit out all season if he isn’t traded, and the 76ers not caving in to his demands, things do not look any closer to resolution. Neither side is willing to budge. Shaquille O’Neal, the NBA legend, doesn’t understand why Simmons is behaving the way he is.

Shaquille O’Neal has more thoughts on Ben Simmons’ actions

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Ben Simmons has gone rogue. Not showing up for training camp, unwilling to talk to teammates, and clearly not worried about the consequences, Ben is sticking to his guns. However, Shaquille O’Neal thinks that he does not have much of a right to do this. On the ‘Crossover’ Podcast, he said, “I don’t know why he is upset.”

“There’s bashing and there are facts. Everything everybody’s been saying is just facts. Especially with the amount of money you’re making, 200 million. You’re a superstar. In playoffs, you have to step up. In Philly, they’re used to Iverson, Dr. J, Barkley. They expect you to step up. The whole world saw the man terrified to play in the fourth quarter, in crunch time.”

Shaq brought up the moment Ben was criticized most for last season, missing out on the most obvious dunk. And despite him making mistakes, Simmons is acting up. And as per Shaq, it’s because the point guard has “bad advice in his corner.” He explains that during his playing days, he always had people around to call him out for his shortcomings.

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Shaq directs question towards 76ers’ Point Guard

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Shaq is best known for his ability to not sugarcoat anything. So, he even blatantly asked, “Okay, you want to be traded. Who’s going to take you? Nobody is giving up pieces for a guy who doesn’t want to shoot in the fourth quarter.”

He makes it clear that even if he was in Philly’s place, he would react just this way. Unless an elite team like them gets a good enough deal, they can’t, and in fact, shouldn’t trade Simmons.

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Looks like Shaq has picked his side in this separation. But the jury is still out on what will come to be of this messy relationship. Will Simmons realize he has no way out, at least not through these silly antics? Or will the Philadelphia 76ers get the deal they have been waiting for to ship him off?

Ben Simmons Makes His Intentions Clear About Leaving 76ers As He Lists His Philly Home Worth $3.1 Million for Sale

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Yashima Bhatia is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports who specialises in providing nuanced predictions and updates for matches. She has a Bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communication. Yashima's love for playing the game came up at a young age, when the excitement of the games coupled with the intensity of the Playoffs had her hooked.

‘Bad Advice in His Corner’: Shaquille O’Neal Blames Ben Simmons for His Sticky Situation With 76ers

Shaquille O’Neal has more thoughts on Ben Simmons’ actions

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Shaq directs question towards 76ers’ Point Guard