Tuesday, October 26, 2021

My letter in the Philadelphia Inquirer about Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers

The following is a letter to the editor that I wrote, which appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer, regarding the current situation concerning Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers:

Time to move on from Ben Simmons

October 24, 2021

To the Editor:

Responding to “Sixers suspend Simmons for a game” (Oct. 20), instead of the excitement that inherently comes with the start of the NBA season, the Sixers are dealing with a degree of drama that detracts from the team’s dogged pursuit of a championship. Ben Simmons has morphed into a disgruntled superstar whose troubling insubordination has become a major distraction for his teammates and the Sixers organization. With a $33 million annual salary, Simmons’ holdout and refusal to participate in team activities will certainly not engender sympathy among Sixers fans and must be addressed accordingly by team officials. His conduct is antithetical to the concept of a team and the disruption to the Sixers’ chemistry is likely beyond repair. The Sixers cannot coddle Simmons and must put the overall needs of the team ahead of the personal needs of one of its star players, who has explicitly expressed his desire to leave Philadelphia.

N. Aaron Troodler

Bala Cynwyd

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