With how he has played last season, it is hard to imagine that Philadelphia 76ers phenom Ben Simmons is still a rookie. Averaging 15.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game, his near triple-double performances night in and out are seemingly machine-like. Despite being deserving of the Rookie of the Year award, it did not stop people around the league to make speculations on the legitimacy of the Sixers youngster being called a rookie.

While he was drafted as the first overall pick of the 2016 NBA draft by the Sixers, he redshirted his initial year due to injuries. Although he was technically in his second year in the league, he did not play a single NBA game in 2016-17, giving him his rookie status.

Simmons had a brief squabble about his Rookie of the Year eligibility with fellow rookie and budding Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell over interviews and social media. While it was entertaining, the back and forth ended with Mitchell giving us an English lesson on how the word “Rookie” was defined via custom-made hoodie and Simmons eventually winning the award.

Recently, Simmons posts a hilarious photo on his Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BoAP7QIH4r3/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

The NBA is a playground of athletes roasting one another, but a player taking a jab at himself is another level of confidence and humor at the same time.

With all the previous fuss surrounding his tenure in the league, it would actually be funny if Simmons truly forgot how many years he has been playing in the NBA.

On a serious note, the only thing we should not forget is how talented Simmons is and how deadly he may be this upcoming season with him working on his jumper.