Ben Simmons' tenure with the Brooklyn Nets has been somewhat of a rollercoaster, appearing in just 57 games across three seasons.
The Aussie was limited to just 15 games last season due to injury, but after undergoing a "microscopic partial discectomy surgery" in March, he is back on the court for the Nets, looking to re-discover the form that saw him become a three-time All-Star.
Simmons' lack of game time following his acrimonious exit from the Philadelphia 76ers has drawn the ire of NBA fans, garnering plenty of negative attention on social media. That criticism has come mostly due to he's fact he's earning a max salary, but the 6-foot-10 playmaker says trolls who question his contract situation are out of line.
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"People make comments saying I'm robbing. No. When I got that contract, I was playing at a super high level. Unfortunately, I had injuries," Simmons told Brian Lewis of the New York Post.
"But for somebody to say that, it's disrespectful. [But] people can say what they want to say. They've got to live with it. At the end of the day it all catches up with you."
Simmons is set to earn $40.3 million this season, the final year of his $177 million contract he signed in 2019 with the 76ers. Since joining the Nets in February 2022, he has missed 189 out of 246 regular season games due to mental health issues and multiple back surgeries.
The 28-year-old added that he has avoided social media trolls by disconnecting from platforms like X, formerly Twitter, as he looks to keep a clear mind and focus on his return to the floor this season.
"To me, being on a social media platform where you're just taking in what everybody's saying, I don't think that's healthy for anybody to just be reading things about themselves," Simmons said.
"For me, I don't personally go on Twitter or X just because I don't find any use in it."
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With the Nets shaking up their roster in recent seasons, and now entering a rebuilding phase, Simmons is among a handful of veteran players.
As he enters his ninth year in the league, new head coach Jordi Fernandez is confident in what he's seen from the former All Star in preseason, echoing the Aussie's sentiments on the outside noise.
"A healthy Ben Simmons is a very, very good player — that's what I focus on," Fernandez said.
"I don't have social media. I know that at the end of the day, social media brings the worst out of people, because if you want to be heard you have to say something negative. And always one negative trumps 10 positives. [But] I'm happy with where Ben is, how he's showing up every day."
Ben Simmons contract
Simmons enters the 2024-25 season in the final year of the five-year, $177 million contract extension he signed with the Sixers in 2019.
He will earn $40.3 million this season, as he auditions for a new contract in the free agency next offseason
| Season | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 |
| Simmons' salary | $30.5m | $33m | $35.4m | $37.9m | $40.3m | UFA |
Ben Simmons career stats
Here is a look at Simmons' averages during his NBA career:
- 332 games
- 14.4 points
- 7.8 rebounds
- 7.4 assists
- 1.6 steals
- 0.7 blocks
- 56.0 field goal percentage
- 13.9 3-point percentage
- 58.9 free throw percentage
