'He was mad': Shaq lifts the lid on confrontation with Ben Simmons
NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal says Ben Simmons messaged him privately following the Lakers great's brutal criticism of the wantaway Philadelphia 76ers star.
Simmons' continued standoff with the 76ers over his demand to be traded is costing the Australian guard tens of millions of dollars in lost salary, with a trade no closer to being made.
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A recent report detailing Simmons' ongoing frustrations with the team that drafted him first overall in 2016 lead to renewed criticism of the 25-year-old, who has three years left on a five-year, approximately $245 million contract extension he signed with the team in 2019.
O'Neal was among those left less than impressed by revelations that Simmons felt key 76ers personnel, including head coach Doc Rivers and star teammate Joel Embiid, did not do more to reach out to him over the off-season - despite repeatedly declining to return their calls and messages.
Speaking on his Inside the NBA program after the story was published, O'Neal labelled Simmons a 'crybaby' and said he didn't 'respect' him, all the while refusing to refer to the former All Star by name.
Simmons' glaring absence has only been amplified by Embiid's continued improvement this season, with the hulking centre firmly in the MVP discussion ahead of the All Star break.
In the wake of his comments on Inside the NBA, O'Neal revealed on a recent episode of his podcast that Simmons had contacted him afterwards.
“He kinda got in my DM and said some things, and I said some things back,” O’Neal said.
“All I said is, ‘You’re leaving your man (Embiid) out there, you need to play.’ That’s all I said.
“He said some things, but I’m not going to elaborate on what he said because that’s not cool.
"He was mad. Yeah he was probably mad because I’m his LSU brother. I’m still his brother.”
Simmons and O'Neal both attended Louisiana State University (LSU) before entering the NBA draft.
NBA disaster continues to unfold for Ben Simmons
Everyone knew this would be costly for Simmons, who after this season still has three years and $114 million remaining on his contract. But until now we didn't know just how costly it would be.
ESPN's Ramona Shelburne published an in-depth article on Tuesday about where Simmons and the Sixers currently stand with each other, and a detailed timeline of how they got to where they are.
Folded into that was a report on just how much money Simmons has lost to fines during the 2021-22 season so far. And it's a lot.
"Simmons has lost over $19 million in fines since the season began (each missed game costs him $360,000). He hasn't cleared a paycheck since the $8.25 million (25% of his $33 million salary) that was due Oct. 1," Shelburne wrote.
"Every two weeks the team sends a notice with an explanation of all the fines he has accumulated for failing to render services, instead of a $1.375 million paycheck.
"By the end of the season, if he does not play for the Sixers or any other team, Simmons could lose another $12 million."
In total, the Sixers have fined Simmons more than $19 million for missing 50 regular-season games, and his end-of-season total could top $30 million.
Even though Simmons has made over $60 million in his career, that's still an extraordinary amount of money to lose.
However, Shelburne reported that Simmons' decision to not play until he's traded isn't about money. He simply wants out of Philly and doesn't care what he has to give up to accomplish that goal.
One source quoted by Shelburne said 'we don't give a f*** about the money'.
"That's not what this is. It's hard for people to understand. But if you believe in what you're doing and that this is not the right situation for you, and you're trying to get to a better place, the money doesn't matter.
"Obviously it's a financial hit. But you adjust."
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