Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons has accomplished a lot in just a few years as a pro. He is a multiple-time All-Star, was named to the All-NBA Third Team, got an All-Defensive First Team nod, won Rookie of the Year and recorded the most steals in the league in 2020. Not bad for a 24-year-old.
That said, despite all those notable accomplishments, he still has his fair share of detractors. Maybe it has to do with his skipping town on the Sixers at the worst possible moment. Perhaps it has to do with Russell Westbrook wrecking him that one time. It’s tough to pinpoint the exact reason — but one definitely exists.
This past week, a social media post went viral which compared Simmons to singer Chris Brown – and not in a positive way.
“Chris Brown really is the R&B Ben Simmons,” a fan wrote. “No progression, no decline… Just the same ole s**t a** musician…”
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One person who didn’t take kindly to the comparison? Chris Brown.
The famed singer went on an angry rant in response, noting that the comparison – in his opinion, at least – fell flat.
So is Brown right to be upset? Sort of. While Simmons is an extremely solid player for his age, he has not accomplished as much in his career as Brown has in his. Moreover, the original comparison was quite clearly made not to compliment the Sixers star, but to degrade him.
Karl-Anthony Towns’ reaction to Jordyn Woods’ Buss It video speaks for itself.
— Game 7 (@game7__) January 26, 2021
As such, Brown’s reaction is understandable.
How accurate is the comparison itself? It has its positives and negatives, but better ones probably exist out there.
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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.
