Brooklyn Nets' Ben Simmons latest to face wrath of jilted fans

On Thursday night, Ben Simmons will experience that awkward sensation of running into an ex when the Brooklyn Nets face the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center.

Simmons — who has yet to suit up for the Nets since being acquired from the 76ers in February — will be sitting on the bench throughout his highly anticipated homecoming as he recovers from a back injury. The 25-year-old swingman's inability to take the court could make matters more unsavory as he won't have a chance to silence the crowd with his play.

«Ben doesn't have that opportunity right now, he's got to just sit there and just take a bunch of people being childish,» Kevin Durant said of his teammate's situation. «Throwing insults at his way because he didn't want to play basketball for them no more. I mean, it's funny when you look at it in the bigger picture, you see what it really is, but that's just the sport we play.»

Simmons requested a trade from the Sixers after last season and the odds of him receiving a warm welcome are, well, slim to none.

While there's likely little the No. 1 draft pick in 2016 can do to quell the hostile environment, he is far from the first athlete to go from beloved to disdained by an organization's entire fan base.

If we were to include every contentious homecoming in sports, this article would drag on longer than running into your ex at the grocery store. So instead we'll just regale you with some of the most memorable ones over the years.

LeBron James went from hailed as a hero to jeered as a villain quicker than the writers of «Game of Thrones.»

The environment was nothing short of combative as LeBron James returned to Cleveland for the first time as a member of the Miami Heat. The feelings of betrayal,