Ben Simmons Talks Sixers, Philly On JJ Redick's Podcast 'The Old ...

In an excerpt that teased an upcoming full episode of his popular podcast, “The Old Man and the Three,” JJ Redick, who played in Philadelphia from 2017-19, got his former teammate to comment on his time with the Sixers.

Rather than play for the Sixers in the 2021-22 season, Ben Simmons sat out for months before finally being traded to the Brooklyn Nets, although he did not play for that team either before the season ended. Simmons claimed that mental health struggles and a back issue prevented him from playing.

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Redick, whose tenure coincided with the rookie season and early professional career of Simmons, set up the question to Simmons, saying, “I have spoken about my love of the city of Philly and how much I enjoyed playing there in front of those fans. That’s not to say that it’s always a perfect environment; it’s a very tough place to play. Do you feel like that the non-shooting was magnified because you were in Philly?”

Simmons didn’t hesitate in his reply.

“People in Philly just want to have something to say about [expletive] anything, man. Like everything. Like literally everything,” Simmons said. “You know, I post a picture of an [expletive] car, or a dog, I have reporters saying, ‘You should be in the [expletive] gym.’ Like, come on, man.”

He continued: “But for sure, yeah, Philly is obviously a sports city. And my experience playing there was incredible. Like for the most part, it was incredible. I had a great time. Fans were unbelievable.”

Then Simmons revealed that he continues to have Philadelphia connections.

“I still have an apartment, so I do hold some real estate in Philadelphia, still,” he said. “I feel like I’m a part of Philly still. But, yeah, it’s just unique. Like even being in Brooklyn now, it’s completely different. Like, this is a different experience for me. Like, I value just that time I did spend in Philly, cause I was able to learn and grow in that city. I’ve got friends for life there. I’ve got — my brother lives there. I’ve got family there.”

He concluded, “So yeah, Philly is great. I think people think that I hate it.”

Redick’s full podcast episode will air Thursday.