Report: Ben Simmons Reached Out To Joel Embiid To Mend Fences

According to NBA insider Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, Ben Simmons reached out to Joel Embiid to mend fences. 

Simmons and Embiid were teammates on the Philadelphia 76ers before Simmons requested a trade and was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in 2022 for James Harden, who now plays for the Los Angeles Clippers. 

“But so much has gone wrong for Simmons and his former team in the years they’ve been apart that Simmons’ presence back in Philadelphia barely registered this time,” Shelburne reported. “He’d even reached out to Embiid and others last summer, league sources said, hoping to mend fences. Simmons, who is in the final year of his contract in Brooklyn, has shown how he can still impact a game with his passing, length and defense. But in the second quarter of the game Friday, he also missed the rim on a layup in a clip that quickly went viral — reminding everyone of how his time in Philadelphia went awry. Could they ever try to figure it out together again? One source called it unlikely, but stranger things have happened. Especially with the Sixers.”

The Sixers went 144-63 when Embiid and Simmons were in the lineup. However, they never advanced past the second round of the playoffs. 

Simmons missed the entire 2021-22 season after holding out with the Sixers. He didn’t play with the Nets after the trade either due to a back injury. 

A three-time All-Star, Simmons is averaging 6.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.6 blocks since getting traded to the Nets. He still doesn’t have a jumper. 

Embiid has only played in four games this season due to a knee injury. He’s averaging 19.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 0.5 steals and 1.0 blocks while shooting 37.9% from the field and 16.7% from beyond the arc.

Embiid was suspended for shoving an NBA reporter who mentioned Embiid’s son and late brother in a critical column.