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Philadelphia Sixers point guard Ben Simmons has made headlines as of late, but not for his performance on the court. His relationship with Los Angeles Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson has left fans of both teams puzzled.
However, throughout the drama, Ben Simmons has kept his sense of humor.
Ben Simmons walked into the locker room, sat down and said, "That's like the 10th time Magic has called me today."
After pausing for a second, he clarified that he was, of course, joking.
— Noah Levick (@NoahLevick) February 13, 2019
The drama began on Sunday when Magic Johnson told reporters that Simmons had reached out to the Lakers about potentially working with Johnson at some point. This is presumably because Johnson, at 6-foot-9, had a Hall of Fame career as a tall point guard, and Simmons is listed even taller at 6'10”.
Magic Johnson takes one last question and says Ben Simmons contacted the Lakers about getting together to learn from a fellow big guard. Magic said he’s game – as long as the league signs off.
Seems like a good time to mention Simmons is represented by Rich Paul and Klutch. pic.twitter.com/djgq9TOWNk
— Bill Oram (@billoram) February 10, 2019
The league promptly followed with an investigation of whether the contact between Johnson and Simmons constituted tampering. The front offices of both clubs worked to clarify the story, including details that Johnson had omitted.
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Simmons reportedly had a list of Hall of Famers he wished to talk to about his game in the offseason. Johnson was on the list, and Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka contacted Sixers GM Elton Brand to discuss the possibility of the two working together. The two were both uncomfortable with the situation and chose to end conversations.
The league announced earlier Tuesday that it had concluded its investigation into the incident and found no signs of tampering by either side.
Simmons, a 2019 All-Star, has averaged 16.7 points, 9.2 rebounds and 8.0 assists this season. The Sixers made the 21-year-old the first overall pick in the 2017 draft out of Louisiana State University.
The Lakers have had issues with tampering as of late. The organization was fined $50k last February for comments made by Johnson about Giannis Antetokounmpo, as well as $500k in August 2017 for discussions between Pelinka and agent Aaron Mintz regarding client Paul George.
