The Philadelphia 76ers will once again withhold money from Ben Simmons and put it in an escrow account. According to a new report from Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Philly is fining Simmons his $360,000 game check from Thursday night’s win over the Detroit Pistons, a game in which he did not play, and plans on continuing to levy fines against Simmons moving forward.
The Sixers’ reason, per Wojnarowski, stems from two things. One is that Simmons, who has said that he is not mentally ready to compete, is not meeting with team physicians to talk through his mental health status. Instead, Simmons is only meeting with mental health professionals who are available through the Players Association. Wojnarowski reported that Simmons is meeting with team physicians regarding his back.
Additionally, the team is withholding money from Simmons for basketball-related reasons. While he is participating in some activities, Philly appears to want him to expand on what he is doing right now.
Simmons has been showing up regularly at the team’s facility for some daily basketball activity with coaches and individual teammates, but the Sixers will begin fining him again for failures to participate in other requirements, such as strength training, film study and some presence at team practices and game-day shootarounds, sources said.
Despite the ongoing situation with Simmons, the Sixers have been on a tear to start the year. The team is in the midst of a five-game winning streak and boasts a 7-2 record, which is the best in the Eastern Conference.