The Brooklyn Nets acquired Ben Simmons last week in a blockbuster trade with the Philadelphia 76ers. In making this move, all parties involved ended a longstanding stalemate dating back to 2021.
By now, everyone knows the story. Simmons was essentially thrown under the bus by teammates, coaches and the front office over his poor play in last season’s Eastern Conference playoffs. As a result, he demanded a trade and refused to play again for Philly.
Shortly after the Sixers attempted to force his return, Simmons cited mental health issues that he claimed precluded him from coming back to the court.
Based on his girlfriend Maya Jama’s recent Instagram posts, it would appear he is over those issues.
The photos send a powerful hint:
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This is particularly noteworthy because Simmons himself hasn’t published much to Instagram since last September. Because of that it has been hard to truly gauge how he is looking, feeling and behaving. Now we know.
Simmons looks to be doing much better mentally.
This isn’t the first time Simmons’ better half has found herself in the headlines over his basketball affairs. She often goes viral, though generally for her own Instagram posts:
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Big picture, Simmons’ war with the 76ers has been a particularly bloody one. A lot of money was lost and a lot of feelings were hurt.
Now he has a chance at new life in Brooklyn.
The photos speak for themselves. https://t.co/OVL3ubaoDq
— Game 7 (@game7__) February 18, 2022
If Simmons can lead the Nets to a championship this year, all his past transgressions and sins will be forgotten. Should he come up short again, though – then it’s unlikely that New York will treat him any better after the fact than Philly did.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
