Ben Simmons has been dealing with slander from fans around the league for a long time. With Simmons looking to get back in midseason form with the Brooklyn Nets, Simmons' game has been put under a microscope, which has even led to some viral moments on social media.
For instance, Simmons was recently roasted for hitting an airball during public practice. In the grand scheme of things, this miss was not a big deal, however, fans made sure to let Simmons know what they think of him.
In the eyes of Kyrie Irving, what Simmons is going through is very common. Irving said that Simmons didn't have to deal with it as much growing up in Australia and that at this point, he just needs to learn to tune it out and not let it affect him.
Per Kyrie:
“I’m no child on the internet anymore. I grew up in the internet days, I think you can appreciate that of just when technology hit the boom and we didn’t expect that social media would take over the whole entire platform basis of where we get everything. It is a one-place shop where you are legitimately taking your eyes shopping on whatever the algorithm throws your way. So, if we think about it on that level, I think the nerds can appreciate that, how much that changes us all. For him, he’s grown up in Australia, there’s not much of a — I don’t want to disrespect his upbringing, but I don’t know if there’s a space where there’s a melting pot full of diversity and races coming together talking about issues as politics. And it’s just one world that you can honestly say what you feel. And not every country has shared that same freedom so for me telling him not only just ‘F all of it,’ but you got to be able to deal with it. You got to be able to face it.”
Simmons will eventually find his game, and when he does, the Nets will ascend in the Eastern Conference. Until then, the slander will remain overwhelming.
Stay tuned to HNHH for more news from around the NBA.
[Via]
