Ben Simmons returns to Philadelphia with Brooklyn Nets as NBA fans boo former 76ers star

Ben Simmons has been greeted with a chorus of boos and a river of vitriol on his return to Philadelphia, after agitating for a trade away from the 76ers this season.

Simmons still has not played a game for the Brooklyn Nets but was on court before the game in Philly, warming up with the team, firing up his former fans.

He walked onto the court with fellow Aussie Patty Mills, but even Mills's almost 100 per cent approval rating from basketball fans could not prevent the boos from raining down.

Simmons dapped up teammate Kevin Durant and even cracked a few smiles as he helped Mills and other teammates warm up while the crowd continued jeering.

The boos and hisses turned to sarcastic cheers when Simmons dunked a ball, bringing back memories of perhaps his lowest on-court moment in Philly, when he passed up an open dunk with his team down two late in the fourth quarter of a series-deciding game seven against Atlanta in the 2021 play-offs.

The stand-off between Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers is finally over and both now need to move on. That's especially true for Simmons, who may have done irreparable damage to his reputation.

The Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia increased security for the game and the court was cordoned off from the stands by guards and ushers in a manner usually reserved for NBA Finals celebrations, when hundreds of people stream onto the hardwood.

NBA on TNT reporter Stephanie Ready said the 76ers told her tickets for this game were the «most in-demand» for any game in the past decade, including play-offs.

With even the worst ticket in the arena going at $US200 ($272) and closer seats priced around $US4,000 ($5,442), former 76er and basketball hall of famer Charles Barkley said many of the fans in the