KEY POINTS

  • Joel Embiid broke his silence about rumors of a falling out between him and Ben Simmons
  • Embiid made sure that everyone knew he would like to run things back with him
  • Simmons' future with the Sixers are still unclear as trade rumors continue to swirl

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid is not happy with all of the rumors surrounding him and All-Star teammate Ben Simmons.

Embiid decided to take matters into his own hands via Twitter and has decided that enough is enough.

In a tweet by NBA news aggregator NBA Central, they quoted Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today Sports saying that the rift between Embiid and Simmons had been escalating to the point that the Sixers front office “had to pick” between the two players.

Embiid retweeted and shared his thoughts on the matter.

“Sources [be like] ‘trust me bro!’ Stop using my name to push people’s agenda,” said Embiid.

“I love and hate drama. I love playing with Ben. Stats don’t lie. He’s an amazing player and we all didn’t get the job done. It’s on me personally. I hope everyone is back [because] we know we’re good enough to win.”

The Cameroonian would later expand his thoughts on the matter.

“From my own experience, [you all] have no idea how much this media makes stuff up for followers and shame on you [the public] for believing them,” tweeted Embiid.

He would also bring up his own experience of the harsh treatment the media and some Sixers fans gave him two years ago.

A Twitter user posted the clip in question where Philadelphia fans repeatedly ripped into him and wanted him to be traded away from the franchise.

Simmons’ name has never left the rumor mill this offseason as many onlookers point to his unwillingness to shoot the ball as the main cause of the Sixers’ Game 7 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

In the post-game presser, Embiid expressed his frustration with being unable to close the game out and outlined where it all went wrong for them.

However, fans and critics alike cherrypicked the interview and took the Simmons criticism as a sign of Embiid’s displeasure.

While that may be the case at the time, the full quote saw Embiid criticize the whole team–Simmons not shooting the open shot, Matisse Thybulle missing a free throw, the Sixers defense allowing a three-pointer, and indicting himself as well for turning the ball over.

Simmons’ future with the Sixers remains murky at best as trade rumors continue to hound the two-time NBA All-Defensive First Team player, but recent news has ruled out the Golden State Warriors.

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