Ben Simmons actually looked great at the Met Gala. NBA fans had jokes anyway.
The former Sixer hasn’t played much over the last three seasons, but he turned heads on Monday night.
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Former Sixers No. 1 pick and current Nets forward Ben Simmons attended the Met Gala, one of the most prestigious events in fashion, on Monday.
Simmons wore a custom Thom Browne look inspired by the event’s dress code, “The Garden of Time.” Most fashion fans who had never heard of Simmons were impressed by his admittedly great look. Men often shirk the theme, so Simmons was one of a small group who actually committed and wore something different.
But of course, many NBA fans had other ideas.
Complex started off subtle.
Simmons played in just 15 games for the Nets this season because of a back issue, played 42 games the season before, and famously missed all of the 2021-22 season, his last with the Sixers, with mental health issues. He also missed all of his post-draft season.
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Overall in the eight years since he has been drafted, Simmons has appeared in just over half of his team’s regular-season games (332 of 647, or 51.3%). Over the last three seasons, that number drops to 23.2%.
NBA fans had some jokes.
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The 2024-25 season is the final year of the five-year, $177 million contract Simmons originally signed with the Sixers, paying him just over $40.3 million next year.
With Simmons’ significant injury issues, fans have questions about when he might return to the court. Have we already seen Simmons play his final game? No one knows, but many saw the clock on Simmons’ briefcase and fired off a few jokes.
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At least Simmons dressed to impress.
Simmons was the only active NBA player to attend the gala. Dwyane Wade also was in attendance, as was Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese.
Best of luck next season, Ben! If he could play as well as he dressed, he’d easily be worth that $40 million.