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I love the comments both Shaq and Charles made about Ben Simmons.
Noah Levick
Thu, September 9, 2021, 2:47 PM
Shaq, Barkley give their takes on Simmons situation originally appeared on NBC Sports Northwest
Shaquille O’Neal does not hold Ben Simmons in high regard.
The Hall of Famer and 15-time All-Star is one of many media personalities to share a strong opinion on Simmons, who reportedly does not plan to attend Sixers training camp if he’s still on the team’s roster at that time.
Here’s what O’Neal had to say on The Big Podcast with Shaq:
“I have G-14 classification to say what I’m about to say, and so does Charles Barkley: Ben Simmons, you’re not that good. And then, in this league, do you want to be good or do you want to be great? You’re not great. But if you want to get to that next level, you have to be great. And to be great, you have to work on your game.
“Don’t be putting pictures on your Instagram of your Ferrari or what actress you’re hanging around with. When you play for a town like Philadelphia, Boston, L.A., Miami -- a hard-working town -- they don’t give a s*** about none of that. They want you to come, work hard and play hard.
“I was at that Game 6 when that man didn’t even look at the basket. And I know, as a player, the first thing I do is I look in a player’s eyes. That man was out there terrified. Not terrified of playing, but terrified of being fouled and missing free throws. Forget all that.”
“I’m disappointed in Ben Simmons,” Barkley said. “When you give somebody $200 million to dribble a stupid basketball and the only thing you ask him is be better as a player, and their first response is, ‘I don’t want to play here anymore,’ that disappoints me as a player, it disappoints me as a fan. They’re not saying, ‘Hey, come over here and cut my grass.’ They’re saying, ‘Ben, we need you to learn how to shoot the basketball.'"
Noah Levick
Thu, September 9, 2021, 2:47 PM
Shaq, Barkley give their takes on Simmons situation originally appeared on NBC Sports Northwest
Shaquille O’Neal does not hold Ben Simmons in high regard.
The Hall of Famer and 15-time All-Star is one of many media personalities to share a strong opinion on Simmons, who reportedly does not plan to attend Sixers training camp if he’s still on the team’s roster at that time.
Here’s what O’Neal had to say on The Big Podcast with Shaq:
“I have G-14 classification to say what I’m about to say, and so does Charles Barkley: Ben Simmons, you’re not that good. And then, in this league, do you want to be good or do you want to be great? You’re not great. But if you want to get to that next level, you have to be great. And to be great, you have to work on your game.
“Don’t be putting pictures on your Instagram of your Ferrari or what actress you’re hanging around with. When you play for a town like Philadelphia, Boston, L.A., Miami -- a hard-working town -- they don’t give a s*** about none of that. They want you to come, work hard and play hard.
“I was at that Game 6 when that man didn’t even look at the basket. And I know, as a player, the first thing I do is I look in a player’s eyes. That man was out there terrified. Not terrified of playing, but terrified of being fouled and missing free throws. Forget all that.”
“I’m disappointed in Ben Simmons,” Barkley said. “When you give somebody $200 million to dribble a stupid basketball and the only thing you ask him is be better as a player, and their first response is, ‘I don’t want to play here anymore,’ that disappoints me as a player, it disappoints me as a fan. They’re not saying, ‘Hey, come over here and cut my grass.’ They’re saying, ‘Ben, we need you to learn how to shoot the basketball.'"