Ben Simmons was tuned in.
As Philadelphia suffered a brutal Game 7 elimination on Sunday in Boston, the former 2016 No. 1 overall pick -- taken by the Sixers -- let the NBA world know he was watching his old team suffer a harsh fate.
Simmons took to his Instagram story and posted a picture of his TV broadcasting the game as the Sixers trailed 108-78 late in the fourth quarter, seemingly trolling the franchise.
Though Simmons didn't explicitly say anything, the context is quite clear.
After the Sixers were eliminated in Game 7 of the 2021 NBA Playoffs as a No. 1 seed to the No. 5 Atlanta Hawks, a game in which Simmons infamously passed up a wide-open dunk, he eventually requested a trade in the offseason. He did not play to start the 2022 regular season, citing not being ready mentally, then was traded to Brooklyn in a deal that landed Philadelphia James Harden at the deadline.
But the post-Simmons era has not yielded fruit for Harden, Joel Embiid and Co. either, as they've been bounced in the second round for consecutive seasons.
NBA
Simmons played 42 games for the Nets this season and averaged 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.3 steals in 26.3 minutes per game.