Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons is still trying to work his way back to 100 percent form. Simmons missed the entire 2021-22 NBA season because of an internal rift with his previous team, the Philadelphia 76ers, and mental struggle issues. Simmons recently opened up about what he's gone through during an episode of JJ Redick's The Old Man and The Three podcast in which the former LSU Tigers star also called out NBA legend and fellow LSU product Shaquille O'Neal for lack of support.

“I DM’d him and I was like, ‘why are you saying this if you don’t even know the story?’ ‘Cause he always wants to say like yo, we’re LSU brothers, you’re my brother, all this, that. If you’re my LSU brother you would’ve reached out by now and it’s been months since I’ve been dealing with this. You ain’t reached out once and said like, ‘hey, you OK? Like, what’s going on.'”

Ben Simmons showed frustration over how much more challenging it gets for him and other NBA players who are going through mental issues when the likes of O'Neal and Charles Barkley don't show support and instead push a narrative they don't have complete information of.

The 26-year-old Ben Simmons has not played in an NBA game since the 2021 NBA Playoffs when the Sixers got eliminated by the Atlanta Hawks. He was traded by Philly to the Nets ahead of the 2022 NBA trade deadline along with Seth Curry, and Andre Drummond for former league MVP James Harden and Paul Millsap.