Stephen A Shares Candid Reaction After Ben Simmons Agrees To Kings Contract

Stephen A shares candid reaction after Ben Simmons agrees to Kings contract originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Ben Simmons is back in the NBA after agreeing to a one-year deal with the Kings. Simmons was once a promising prospect and will look to revive a basketball career that has gone off the rails in recent seasons. But not everyone is sold on Simmons’ return, especially ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith.

Speaking on “First Take” on Friday morning, Smith did not hold back on his thoughts, going as far as to say that Simmons should be the first player in the NBA to pay the team to let him play in an NBA uniform.

“I’ve seen one of the great, great talents; I’m talking about a dude at 6’10” y’all, this is not an exaggeration,” Smith said. “6’10”, was ambidextrous: the handle, the passing ability, the defensive prowess. This brother could do everything but shoot. He was something special. And somehow, someway, something happened to this dude’s mental and he treated taking a shot as if you asked him to be on the front lines in Afghanistan. It made no sense whatsoever… here’s my question, y’all. How come he isn’t paying Sacramento? He should be paying them to let him play.

“He should be the first player in the NBA that actually pays the team to let him play in an NBA uniform considering the thievery he engaged in for a few years disguised as an NBA player where he was scared of his own damn shadow.”

Simmons, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, had a strong start to his career with the Philadelphia 76ers despite missing his true rookie season with an injury. Making his debut in the 2017-18 season, Simmons won the league Rookie of the Year Award and was a three-time All-Star from 2019-21 while also earning two NBA All-Defensive Team selections and an All-NBA selection, among other accolades.

But starting with the 2021-22 season, Simmons started to struggle mentally and eventually decided he no longer wanted to play for the 76ers, leading to a trade to the Brooklyn Nets. Unable to regain his form in Brooklyn, Simmons was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers midway through the 2024-25 season, where he remained until he became a free agent.

Simmons then spent all of last season out of basketball but continued to train in the hopes of a comeback. Now getting his comeback shot with the Kings, Simmons will look to prove that he still has what it takes to be a valuable player for an NBA franchise.

Download and follow The Deuce & Mo Podcast