Ben Simmons and Philadelphia 76ers ‘reach settlement’ on grievance claim

BREAKING NEWS: Ben Simmons and Philadelphia 76ers ‘reach settlement’ on the grievance he filed for the team withholding close to $20m from his salary after he failed to play games last season

  • Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers have reportedly reached a settlement 
  • Over the All-Star’s grievance claim after the team did not pay him his full salary 
  • Following the 76ers exit from the 2021 playoffs Simmons requested a trade
  • He refused to play for 76ers in 2021-22 season, citing mental health concerns

Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers have reportedly come to a settlement over the player’s grievance claim.

Simmons, now of Brooklyn Nets, filed after the team withheld close to $20million from his salary for failure to play games last season. 

And now the two parties have reached a settlement agreement, according to ESPN

The report claims that the team still believed Simmons breached his contract by not reporting for training camp, not playing preseason and missing regular season before being traded to the Nets.

Simmons and the 76ers have come to a ‘confidentiality agreement’ regarding the exact terms of the financial settlement deal, the report adds.

Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers have reportedly come to a settlement over his claim

Following the 76ers exit from the 2021 playoffs Simmons requested a trade and refused to play for the 76ers in the 2021-22 season, citing mental health concerns.

Philadelphia sent him to Brooklyn in February in a trade deadline deal for James Harden, but Simmons began to experience back pain soon after while trying to work his way back into shape. 

The Australian was widely criticized for not playing a single game last season, particularly during the Nets’ 4-0 first-round playoff series loss to Boston. 

While outrage has decreased since, the fans of frustration were flamed by The Athletic’s Ric Bucher during a recent appearance on The Herd. 

Following the 76ers exit from the 2021 playoffs Simmons requested a trade and joined the Nets

Following the 76ers exit from the 2021 playoffs Simmons requested a trade and joined the Nets

The longtime NBA reporter suggested Nets players conversed with Simmons about his status for the eventual season-ending game before he disappeared entirely from the virtual group.

‘They’re having a team chat before Game 4, thinking he’s going to play against the Celtics, and from what I’m told, Ben just left the chat,’ told FS1’s Colin Cowherd.

‘They asked him, ‘Are you going to play?’ Ben left the chat. Like he didn’t even answer the question. Just left the chat.’

Simmons replied on Twitter shortly after, saying: ‘slow news day’ followed by a laughing emoji. 

Earlier this year, popular media personality Stephen A. Smith branded Simmons ‘pathetic.

The Australian reacted to Ric Bucher's report that he had left the Nets' chat before Game 4

The Australian reacted to Ric Bucher’s report that he had left the Nets’ chat before Game 4

‘I feel bad for anyone who is his teammate. He quit on LSU, he quit on the Philadelphia 76ers and now he ain’t showing up for the Brooklyn Nets,’ Smith said on the ABC broadcast.

‘We can point to all the excuses and rationale behind it that we want to – I do recall that despite him not playing he still filed a grievance to collect $20 million that he has not earned. This is one of the most pathetic situations I’ve ever seen in my life.

‘He ain’t going to war. He’s not going into the octagon or the boxing ring. It’s pulling teeth to get this man to play basketball.

‘It’s pathetic, it’s sad and at the end of the day when the NBA gets to the collective bargaining table and they go after players in terms of a pay for play stipulation in the agreement, it’s going to be called the Ben Simmons rule.’ 



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