It was a moment that cemented Philly fans’ hatred of Ben Simmons forever, but Doc Rivers is taking some of the responsibility for his part in what happened.
When Simmons passed on an open layup that would have tied Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals against Atlanta in 2021, it was a turning point Philadelphia couldn’t come back from.
After the game, Rivers was asked if Simmons could be the point guard of a championship team, to which Doc infamously answered, “I don’t know the answer to that question right now”.
Rivers has denied that his comments helped contribute to the drama that followed, including Simmons’ refusal to play.
But, Doc has recently taken ownership of his comments from that day.
“I had a terrible press conference after that Game 7,” Rivers told ESPN. “We lost. I said something — I meant something different, but it was taken differently. That started it. Then Joel [Embiid] had a bad press conference.
“I don’t know if the whole Ben thing was going to happen regardless, but I didn’t like me being a part of that. So your first thing is, how can I handle that better? How can I answer that question better?”
It’s been almost two years since Simmons left the Sixers and he hasn’t been able to consistently play in the NBA to this day.
After sitting out for the Sixers and eventually getting traded to the Nets, the Australian native continued to miss games due to back and knee injuries.
Fast forward to the 2023-24 season, and not much has changed.
Simmons has played in just 14 games this season and looks to be spending even more time on the sidelines since he picked up a leg injury over the weekend.
Simmons has only played in 55 games for the Nets since being acquired at the 2022 trade deadline.