Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers recently appeared on ESPN to clarify the comments he made about Ben Simmons after their Game 7 loss in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Simply put, it was an attempt to salvage his relationship with the Australian playmaker and encourage him to come back to the team amid his trade demand.

In his talk with Stephen A. Smith, Rivers expressed his desire to resolve their issues with Simmons and that they would “love” to have him back on the team. When asked about his comments that created a narrative that he doesn't see the 25-year-old a championship-caliber point guard, the veteran tactician denied what he said and suggested it was misinterpreted and blown out of proportion.

“I want to correct that. I would love you guys to play what I said, because, and I've told you this before Stephen A. I never said what was reported. The question was asked about Ben, it was the first question after we just lost the game 7. My answer was ‘I’m not answering any of that right now, guys. I don’t even know how to answer that.' That had nothing to do about Ben,” the Sixers coach explained

However, Kyle Neubeck of the Philly Voice fact-checked Rivers' latest comments. According to the Sixers reporter, the question about whether Ben Simmons can still be the point guard of a championship team was the fifth one thrown at him–contrary to his claim that it's the first.

Furthermore, Neubeck emphasized that what Rivers said on ESPN is nowhere near what he said during that postgame presser after the playoffs.

Here's the video of Doc Rivers' comment on Simmons last June:

It's interesting to note, though, that it took three months for Rivers to clarify his comments. Moreover, it is one of the reasons why Simmons demanded a trade, and it seems too late already to backtrack on his comments.