Ben Simmons no longer getting fined by the Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers have stopped fining Ben Simmons, who is yet to appear in a game this season.
The Australian's holdout was one of the biggest stories of the offseason, and it appears he is still not ready to play.
According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, Ben Simmons is no longer being fined by the Sixers after reporting to the team two weeks ago. The 25-year-old showed up last October 11th but cited that he is not physically or mentally ready to play.
Shelburne noted that the Sixers are putting their trust in Simmons regarding his mental health issues.
"Some of this is because of a standard provision in player contracts that says if you're dealing with a mental health issue, which Ben Simmons has reported to the team that he is, he wants to work on himself mentally and physically this week. They've taken that in good faith," Shelburne said.
Ben Simmons was fined by the Philadelphia 76ers earlier in the preseason for missing practice, training, media availability and other team activities. The Sixers also refused to pay Simmons $8,250,984 or 25% of his salary for the 2021-22 season due to his holdout.
Sources: The 76ers are not paying Ben Simmons his $8.25 million payment due today as the three-time All-Star awaits a trade. Simmons still is not showing up to Philadelphia and has understood the ramifications of his holdout.
Philadelphia 76ers teammates offer their support to Ben Simmons
After the news broke that Ben Simmons is still unable to play because he is not mentally ready, a couple of his Philadelphia 76ers teammates offered their support to him.
Tobias Harris told reporters in a postgame interview that Simmons is just a human being. He added that he would continue to support his teammate, despite what transpired over the summer.
"So I think we just have to really understand he's a human first, and if he's going through something, at times we have to respect that and go through that as a team, oorganization fans, all the way down the line," Harris said.
Meanwhile, Joel Embiid had the same sentiments in his pregame message to Sixers fans in their home opener last October 22nd.
Embiid thanked the fans for their support and acknowledged the tension-filled offseason. He added that fans should also support Simmons, who he called "brother."
“He’s still our brother.”
Joel Embiid still showing love for Ben Simmons before the Sixers’ home opener. https://t.co/iwbnITiKiN
Ben Simmons still has four years left in his contract with the Philadelphia 76ers. General manager Daryl Morey is adamant that they will not trade Simmons this offseason.
At the moment, the Sixers are waiting for their star guard to be physically fit and mentally prepared for the season.