Ben Simmons has been out of the Philadelphia 76ers lineup as he deals with mental health issues. At first, the Sixers were exercising patience with Simmons as they want him to remain on the team for the long term. Even Simmons seemed committed to coming back as soon as his issues were taken care of. His teammates were supportive in the media, and it seemed like everything would sort itself out.
Earlier this week, it was reported that Simmons was actually being very uncooperative with the Sixers and that he was refusing to meet with team doctors and psychologists to work through his issues. The Sixers did not like this, and now, they have resorted to fining him again.
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According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Simmons has been fined $360K after missing the last Sixers game. The team is also committed to fining him for any other game missed after that, which means Simmons could stand to lose millions. It’s a sure-fire way to get him to report to practice, however, nothing is guaranteed at this point. Simmons is doing what he wants, and there isn’t much the Sixers can do about it other than fine him or trade him.
The Simmons saga continues to be an ongoing mess, so stay tuned to HNHH for all of the latest updates from around the NBA.