By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Ben Simmons is being fined by the Philadelphia 76ers for failing to follow the team on the ongoing six-game road trip, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.
The Sixers started the road trip with the loss at the hands of the Indiana Pacers on Saturday. Moving on towards the western part of the United States, they will take on the Utah Jazz, Denver Nuggets, Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors, and Minnesota Timberwolves until the end of next week.
Simmons, 25, has yet to make an appearance in the 2021-22 NBA Regular Season extending the holdout from the team after skipping the training camp. He believes Philadelphia is trying to force him back to action disregarding his mental health issues. His agent recently pointed out that the fines have made the situation even worse.
The former first overall draft pick coming out of Louisiana State joined the 76ers in 2016. The 2020 Playoffs criticism prompted him to request a trade but the saga has since shifted into another direction. The initial fines temporarily ceased after he added that he is not yet mentally ready to play again. The Philadelphia franchise apparently citing poor communication regarding the mental health issue resurfaced the fines.
Since starting the season with eight wins over the first ten games, the Sixers have dropped four games in a row with COVID-19 cases piling up. Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, and Matisse Thybulle have entered the league’s health and safety protocols limiting playing options for head coach Doc Rivers.
Photo Credit: Getty Images