Ben Simmons missed the entire 2021-22 season with injury and, while he was off the floor, the Philadelphia 76ers traded him to the Brooklyn Nets in a deal centered on James Harden. With that in mind, Simmons has not played a game at Wells Fargo Center since June 2021 when the Sixers fell to the Atlanta Hawks in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. On Tuesday, that changed with Simmons returning to Philadelphia in an opposing uniform for the first time, and he was greeted with boos from the crowd.
Ben Simmons hearing the boos pic.twitter.com/tVc2THDoOG
— Yaron Weitzman (@YaronWeitzman) November 23, 2022
Ben Simmons introduced in Philly to heavy boos. pic.twitter.com/YCLiN9Mw5y
— Alex Schiffer (@Alex__Schiffer) November 23, 2022
Ben Simmons is introduced in the starting lineup pic.twitter.com/dZUQoYe8C7
— Mr Matthew CFB (@MrMatthewCFB) November 23, 2022
Simmons seemed to be in good spirits before the game, telling TNT’s Stephanie Ready that he “had the same feelings toward the crowd” when he was with the Sixers. Philadelphia will also be without several key pieces, including Harden and Joel Embiid due to injury. There was an uptick in police presence, though, with the local officials taking no chances in what could’ve been an antagonistic atmosphere.
“I played in Philadelphia wearing the 76er jersey and had the same feelings towards the crowd.”@StephanieReady relays what Ben Simmons told her about his expectations for the fans prior to his return to Philly pic.twitter.com/cj3vj30UTL
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) November 23, 2022
Stephanie Ready says on the TNT pregame show that there will be increased police presence for Ben Simmons’ return to Philly tonight#NBATwitter pic.twitter.com/nJTfiqVbOq
— 𝙏𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙞𝙣’ 𝙉𝘽𝘼 (@_Talkin_NBA) November 23, 2022
On the floor, Simmons is off to a slow start this season, though he has shown strides in the last handful of games. That includes three straight games with double figures in scoring, headlined by 22 points, eight rebounds, and five assists on Sunday against the Memphis Grizzlies. It will be interesting to see how he responds to the return to Philadelphia but, after the first time, perhaps it will become more “normal” in time given the close proximity between Atlantic Division rivals.