Ben Simmons was a massive disappointment for the 76ers but, now on the Nets, he at least gave fans in Philadelphia something to appreciate.
If you took a poll of Philadelphia 76ers fans asking them what Ben Simmons gave to them and the franchise, my guess is the answer would be a consensus somewhere close to “absolutely nothing of value”, Peter Bretter style.
But as Simmons, now a member of the Brooklyn Nets thanks to last season’s James Harden trade, made his return to Philadelphia on Tuesday night, he finally gave the Sixers and fans something that they could appreciate.
Because who doesn’t love some free chicken nuggets?
Ben Simmons ‘wins’ 76ers fans free Chick-fil-A with missed free throws
At Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia, when an opposing player misses two consecutive free throws in a single trip to the foul line, every fan gets free Chick-fil-A chicken nuggets. Simmons had previously sunk free throws to quiet a booing Philly crowd but, on this fateful trip, his shooting woes were at the forefront.
And for his troubles, every fan is going to be eating on (sort of) his dime.
Even better for the home crowd, even with a severely short-handed lineup that didn’t include James Harden, Joel Embiid or Tyrese Maxey, the 76ers pulled out a 115-106 win over Simmons and the Nets.
Simmons has been a one-of-one case study as a former No. 1 overall pick who has struggled with his shooting, his engagement mentally and with injuries as well. It’s a big reason why Philadelphia made the decision to move on and it’s been a source of frustration at times for Brooklyn already this season after he didn’t play a single game in the 2021-22 campaign for his new team.
For what it’s worth, he had a solid outing in his return, going for 11 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds in the Nets’ loss. But Philly fans will always remember it as the night that Simmons, a perennial source of disappointment when he was on the Sixers, finally delivered them something good: those sweet crispy chicken nuggets served six days a week.