Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons was expected to play at some point towards the tail-end of last season. But, it never happened due to not only a back injury, but mental health issues, which haunted him dating back to the 2021 playoffs with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Simmons recently spoke out on the matter with JJ Redick on his Old Man And Three Podcast. Via ClutchPoints:
"Mentally, it killed me. I was in a dark place… It's not about the money for me now. Like, I want peace and happiness. I want to be in a good place."
Ben Simmons on dealing with his mental health in the last few years 🙏
(via @OldManAndThree)pic.twitter.com/4RpCIW3kvD
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) September 22, 2022
“Mentally, it killed me. I was in a dark place… It's not about the money for me now. Like, I want peace and happiness. I want to be in a good place. And if that cost whatever it's going to cost, that's what it cost. My peace is more valuable than money.”
Ben Simmons was put on blast by Sixers fans in the 21′ postseason after passing up a clear-cut dunk in the conference semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks. The Aussie actually addressed that on the podcast, saying he should've “slammed that sh*t down”. Ever since that moment, the Philly faithful absolutely eviscerated him until he was traded to the Nets in March.
Mental health is no joke. Between that and a lingering back problem that Simmons got surgery on this summer, he simply wasn't ready to suit up yet. Now, Simmons has the chance to get on the court in 2022-23 with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving and make everyone remember just how good he is.
You can just tell Ben Simmons is in a good place again, which is good news for Brooklyn. With his potential on both ends of the floor beside the star duo of KD and Kyrie, the sky is the limit for this group.
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