‘Had some dark times’: Ben Simmons opens up after messy 76ers exit

Ben Simmons says his mental health struggles began well before the 76ers’ season ended and he did not believe he would be able to overcome them in Philadelphia.

The Australian is eager to begin moving on with the Brooklyn Nets, though is not sure yet when he will join them on the court. Nor was he sure how things got so bad in Philadelphia.

“If I knew, I would tell you everything,” Simmons said. “But there’s just a lot of things internally that had happened over time, and it just got to a place where I don’t think it was good for me mentally. So, it is what it is. It happened and I’m moving forward.”

He spoke at the Nets’ practice centre, less than a week after the 76ers traded him to Brooklyn as part of a package for James Harden. Joined by coach Steve Nash and general manager Sean Marks, his press conference was just minutes before the 76ers introduced Harden at their Camden, New Jersey facility.

The former No 1 overall pick has not played since the 76ers were beaten by Atlanta in game seven of the eastern conference semifinals. Post-game comments from teammate Joel Embiid and coach Doc Rivers after Simmons played poorly were considered the catalyst for his trade request, but Simmons said that was not the case.

“That was earlier than that series or even that season that I was dealing with and that organisation knew that,” Simmons said. “So it’s something that I continue to deal with, and I’m getting there and getting to the right place to get back on the floor.”

Simmons said he hopes to be ready to play by the time the Nets visit the 76ers on 10 March.

He thanked the 76ers and fans for their support and said he had spoken with some teammates and personnel – though not Embiid – after the trade. He also spoke that day