Ben Simmons is not playing basketball.
As of Sunday afternoon, neither are the Philadelphia 76ers. Simmons appears to relish this fact.
The exiled former 76ers first overall pick was watching Sunday’s Game 7 from the comfort of his couch. He documented his afternoon with an image on Instagram. The post didn’t come with a caption. But the message was clear from the score on his TV screen: Celtics 108, 76ers 78.
Simmons, meanwhile, appeared to be quite cozy with a glass of wine and his legs wrapped in a blanket as the 76ers spiraled to a 112-88 loss while giving up a Game 7 record 51 points to Celtics forward Jayson Tatum.
The loss saw the 76ers exit the postseason short of the conference finals for the sixth time in six years. It was their third Game 7 loss in the last five years.
Simmons was widely criticized for his dismal offensive effort in the last Game 7 collapse, a 2021 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in the conference semifinals. Joel Embiid and Doc Rivers called him out, and Simmons was ultimately traded to the Brooklyn Nets amid an ugly breakup without playing another game for Philadelphia.
He’s played just 33 NBA games since that 2021 loss to Atlanta and has experienced his own spiral from one-of-a-kind talent to ineffective ex-All-Star without a defined NBA role. While the 76ers disappointed yet again, Simmons’ career has come to redefine NBA disappointment — except at the bank, of course.
But the cliché so often holds true. Misery loves company.