Ben Simmons has found himself in the firing line quite frequently as of late.
But this time, perhaps, things went a step too far.
The Aussie NBA player has been brutally roasted by a pair of respected NBA legends - and their comments towards Simmons are absolutely savage.
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Speaking on Shaq's The Big Podcast, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal took turns in slating Simmons to the ground following reports that he's keen on parting ways with the Philadelphia 76ers.
"I'm disappointed in Ben Simmons," Barkley said.
"When you give somebody $200 million to dribble a stupid basketball, and the only thing you ask him is be better as a player, and their first response is, 'I don't wanna play here anymore', that disappoints me as a player, that disappoints me as a fan.
"They're not saying, 'Come over and cut my grass'. They're saying, 'Ben, we need you to learn how to shoot the basketball'."
Then Shaq chimed in, getting pretty personal with a few below-the-belt shots.
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"Ben Simmons, you're not that good," he added.
"In this league, do you want to be good? Or do you want to be great? You're not great. But if you want to get to that next level, you have to be great, and to be great, you have to work on your game.
"Don't be putting pictures up on your Instagram of your Ferrari or what actress you're hanging around with. When you play for a town like Philadelphia, Boston, LA, Miami, hard-working towns, they don't give a s**t about none of that. They want you to come work hard and play hard.
"I was at that Game 6 when that man didn't even look at the basket. I know as a player, first thing I do is look in the player's eyes. That man was out there terrified. Not terrified of playing, but terrified of being fouled and missing free throws. Forget all that."
It's no secret that Simmons hasn't quite lived up to the lofty expectations bestowed upon him after he was drafted first overall by the Sixers back in 2016.
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A poor string of performances this season and an outright refusal to shoot the ball saw him hooked by Doc Rivers at crucial points in big games.
But after skipping the Olympic Games to work on his "skill development", Philly fans were given a glimmer of hope after vision emerged on social media of Simmons nailing three-pointers during a practice session.
Barkley, along with a few of us, isn't buying it though.
"I live in Philadelphia during the summer. This is the third year in a row where they put up those bulls**t jump shots during the summer.
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"I'm not falling for the banana in the tailpipe anymore."
Simmons' trade request is yet to be resolved with a number f teams reportedly interested in acquiring him.
As for his time in Philadelphia, fellow star play Joel Embiid has openly stated that he wants Simmons to stay put.
Featured Image Credit: TwitterTopics: Basketball, NBA, Shaq, Ben Simmons, Australia
