Published 13:10 IST, December 16th 2019
Ben Simmons receives 'you are average' chants from Nets' fans despite scoring 20 points
NBA 2019-20: Philadelphia 76ers' point guard Ben Simmons received 'you are average' chants while he was at the free-throw line during the 76ers vs Nets game.
- SportFit
- 2 min read
Brooklyn Nets fans chanted 'you are average' at Philadelphia 76ers' point guard Ben Simmons. Simmons was at the foul line while the fans chanted and ever called 'Jared Dudley'. An NBA commentator thought the chants were ‘hurtful’. The attempt to distract Simmons worked as he missed the free throw. The fans called his average during Q3 after Simmons had made 6 of his 8 free throws. The 76ers lost the game 109-89 to the Nets. Simmons scored team-high 20 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks for the 76ers while shooting 70% from the field. He is currently averaging at 14.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 8.4 assists per game.
NBA 2019-20: Ben Simmons receives 'you are average' chants from Nets' fans
Ben Simmons was previously called an average player by LA Lakers' power forward Jared Dudley. This incident happened during last years' Eastern Conference players. After the season, Dudley revealed that he regretted his statement and wished he had chosen different words. Dudley was explaining how he was going to guard Simmons while breaking down the gameplay. Dudley admitted that his word 'average' had such a negative reaction from fans that no one remembered that he even said Simmons was 'elite in transition' and an 'elite passer'.
Simmons also met his young Australian fan before the game. The fan, Kai, has cancer and flew in from Australia to meet Simmons and attended the 76ers vs Nets game. The 76ers next game is against the Miami Heat on Wednesday night (Thursday morning IST).
Updated 16:10 IST, December 16th 2019