Ben Simmons went viral for all the wrong reasons against his former team on Friday night.
The No. 1 pick of the 2016 draft returned to face the Philadelphia 76ers with the Brooklyn Nets in the NBA Cup.
But he didn’t exactly light it up on the court.
Simmons, who was showered in boos and jeers and he made his way into the arena, finished with just two points, four rebounds and four assists in a disappointing 113-98 defeat.
Jared McCain scored 30 points and Tyrese Maxey added 26 more as the 76ers snapped a five-game losing streak, playing without Joel Embiid and Paul George.
Philadelphia’s young backcourt took over in the fourth quarter with a scoring burst that helped the Sixers rally from a nine-point deficit and hand the Nets another loss.
The result, which leaves Brooklyn with a 6-10 record, was bad enough, but Simmons also suffered an embarrassing moment that truly made it a night to forget.
With the Nets down 40-31 in the second quarter, teammate Jalen Wilson passed him the ball, offering the 28-year-old the simplest of lay-ups to close the gap on the scoreboard.
But Simmons, clearly low on confidence, botched his effort.
His attempt was so bad that it went viral, with more than one million people watching clips that have been shared on social media.
“I unfortunately cannot stop watching this Ben Simmons layup attempt… Sheesh man,” one fan wrote on X.
“We were making fun of Ben Simmons for not shooting but maybe we should’ve left bro alone because WTF,” another account posted.
A third wrote: “Ben Simmons going from being one of the most explosive players in the open court to being afraid to dunk and attack the rim needs to be studied.”
Many others were left stunned by the effort from Simmons, who started his NBA career with the Sixers.
“The decline of Ben Simmons is unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” Sean Kane, a senior producer for NBC Sports Philadelphia, said of his performance.
“He certainly had his limitations as a young player but he was still one of the more dynamic talents in the league. Three-time All-Star… To see what he’s become now, still just 28 years old… Truly hard to believe.”
Simmons played four seasons in Philadelphia, but left on bad terms after a holdout in 2021 made him the most fined NBA player in history, with reports suggesting he had surpassed $10 million by the end of the year.
Since being traded to the Nets, he has struggled with injuries, and his most recent performance will further feed into the discussion around the steep decline from his promising days as an All-Star.
The Nets will aim to end their three-game road skid when they take on Sacramento on Sunday November 24.
