Brooklyn Nets star Ben Simmons was a red-hot prospect when he entered the NBA. Selected as the Rookie of the Year in the 2017-18 season, Simmons was even regarded as the second coming of Magic Johnson. A former NBA star, however, did not think of Ben Simmons the same way. Instead, he had an opinion on the then-76ers star, which has now turned out to be prophetic.?

Ben Simmons was a show stealer and his rival here was an older player, who would come off the bench. The more experienced player, however, was widely respected for his skills as a leader and a mentor. Meanwhile, Simmons had the same disrespect for the iconic leader and the two ended up drawing daggers.

Ben Simmons’ infamous equation with Ex-NBA champion emerges

When the world was busy finding the diamond in Simmons, veteran Jared Dudley looked down on him. Coming off the bench, Dudley’s on-court stint was far from remarkable when compared with that of Simmons’. Dudley, however, was a valued player in any given roster, given that his leadership skills mattered to the locker room. Interestingly, Dudley mentored star players like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Ben Simmons while he played for their sides.

A much-valued player like Dudley gathered all the attention when he said, “I think that Ben Simmons is a great player in transition. Once you slow him up in half-court, I think he is average,” about Ben Simmons. Subsequently, tensions sparked up between Dudley and Simmons. In a recent video, ‘Secret Base’ has broken down the Simmons-Dudley beef for the fans. As per the video, Simmons made a not-so-subtle remark about Dudley during an interview.

Simmons was asked if he had any response to Jared Dudley’s comment. He said, “It’s Jared Dudley, C’mon.” The player’s response, according to Secret Base, was a euphemism for “Jared is a journeyman scrub, who cares what he thinks.” The two took the beef to the court as Simmons’ 76ers and Dudley’s Nets locked horns during a playoff series.

During a game, Dudley and Simmons exchanged words and threw jibes at each other. Later on, Dudley even went chest-to-chest with 76ers players. Simmons also got involved in the action after he was shoved into a bunch of players that were going against each other.

Jared Dudley’s vision turned later achieved greater glory

After Dudley and Simmons drew swords on the court, Simmons’ 76ers would win the series and move deeper into the playoffs. After his Nets’ stint, Dudley went on to join the Lakers. A year into his LA stint, he won a championship with the Purple and Gold in 2020. Besides, the players he mentored, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Devin Booker, also made their names heard loud and clear in the basketball world. Soon after Dudley hung his shoes, the Mavericks selected him as their assistant coach, on the back of his mentorship skills.

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Meanwhile, Ben Simmons is witnessing the beginning of his downfall. Taunted by frequent injuries, Simmons could not show up for games. His prolonged absence has given way to severe backlash and sometimes even crude jokes among the NBA community.

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