“They Always Hated Me”: Donovan Mitchell Holds Ben Simmons Guilty For Fans’ Hostility in Philadelphia

Over the years, Donovan Mitchell has proved himself to be a reliable shooter. The Cleveland Cavaliers guard’s standout attribute is his defensive skills on the floor. His consistency this season has been evident which has put him at the top of the team’s charts in points, assists, and steals, with averages of 28.4, 6.3, and 1.9 respectively. This is a player who has steadily improved over time.

Being a star in the NBA has its perks and perils. And like many others before him, Donovan has been at the receiving end of booing throughout his career. It is not a walk in the park to always satisfy fans, and occasionally it leaves the arenas resounding with loud boos. Donovan talks about such experiences in a recent appearance on the Thanalysis Show.

Donovan’s rookie year was tough

In particular, he recalls being often booed in Philadelphia his entire rookie year. This was the most memorable for the 5X NBA All-Star because of the reasons attached to it. He reveals, “They’ve been booing me because of the Rookie of the Year with Ben Simmons all them years [ago]. So, they always hated me. So I got the worst of it my rookie year.” Donovan and Simmons‘ feud dates back to 2018 when both were nominated as forerunners for the Rookie of the Year title.

However, Donovan questioned Simmons’ nomination; he was drafted by the Sixers in the 2016 NBA Draft but missed the entire season due to an injury. So, he was instead considered a rookie in 2018, which did not sit right with Donovan. This resulted in fierce competition between the two. Amidst this, Philly fans did not hold back from expressing their hostility toward Donovan whenever he played in their home arena.

Donovan schools the NBA

In the thick of the RoTY situation with Simmons, Donovan Mitchell pulled off a stunt that revealed his thoughts on the matter. In a collaboration with Adidas for his campaign, Spida called out Simmons’ eligibility as a rookie. He showed up to a game sporting a black Adidas hoodie with a dictionary definition of ‘rookie’ written at the front. This was an obvious jab at Simmons.

Apart from this, things did not blow out of proportion and there was no bad blood between the two. Simmons took home the RoTY title that year. He received 90 of the 101 first-place votes that could be cast. Donovan came second. It all ended on a good note with Donovan personally congratulating his counterpart during the Award Show.

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