Ben Simmons has been one of the major talking points during the 2021-22 NBA season despite never stepping foot on a basketball court.
Controversy arose when Simmons asked for a trade after receiving a bulk of the blame following Philadelphia’s brutal exit from the playoffs in 2021. The franchise waited until nearly half the season was over, to eventually trade their beleaguered star to the Brooklyn Nets for James Harden.
However, once Simmons got to Brooklyn, fans and the media alike were still criticizing Simmons for failing to return to the court. Some said he was being “selfish” for sitting on the bench while the Nets were on the ropes against Boston in the playoffs and some even went as far as to say he’s using “mental health” issues as a scapegoat.
Former college basketball coach and current OutKick contributor Dan Dakich went on the record during his daily digital show Don’t @ Me, declaring that the media owes Simmons a huge apology after news broke Thursday that he needed and had successful surgery on his back.
“I bet you anything you want that you won’t see one apology from one media member towards Ben Simmons saying, ‘hey, look, I got it wrong’,” Dakich said Thursday. “I’m’ not saying that at the time they didn’t just go with the information they had, but what I am saying is now that you have this information and you got it wrong, isn’t it time to apologize?”
Dakich apologized himself for anything negative he may have said about Simmons, even admitting he forgets half of what he says on-air, attirbuting it to speaking for five hours a day between his shows for Outkick and 107.5 The Fan.
“If I did [rip Simmons] I certainly apologize. You got to be man enough to realize your wrong. Ben Simmons having to have surgery, I mean damn, he shouldn’t have played.”
One the main media personalities Dakich pointed out was ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, who’s been one of the more vocal critics of the All-Star point guard ever since his problems with Philly.
After learning of the news and discussing it on First Take, Smith made it very clear that his stance has not changed on Simmons.
“I don’t believe whatever aliment he suffered is truly what prevented him from contributing 10-15 minutes a game. I know, ok, your having back surgery and that’s something you have to deal with, but I’m still at a loss,” Smith said on Thursday’s edition First Take. “I mean what the hell did you do, hit a pothole on the Jersey Turnpike? You didn’t play since last June 20th. How the hell did you get a back injury? I’m still trying to figure that out.”
The former #1 overall pick had back surgery to reduce pain from a herniated disc on Thursday and he said on his Instagram story that the procedure was a success. Simmons’s injury stems back two years ago in 2020 where he missed several games with back issues.
Simmons is expected to receiver from the surgery fully in the next 3-4 months.