Ben Simmons returned to Philadelphia earlier today while donning the Brooklyn Nets jersey. As history shows, Simmons and his previous team, the Philadelphia 76ers ended things on a not-so-good note, to put things mildly. With this in mind, the 76ers’ home arena welcomed Simmons with nothing but hostility. For most of the game, all he could hear were chants of scrutiny. However, Simmons looked unfazed, rather he chose the route of humor to counter the antagonists present.
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During the first quarter of the game, Simmons stood on the free-throw line to shoot a couple of free throws. While he got into position, the arena echoed with boos. Much to the crowd’s surprise, Simmons made both shots with great ease. Following this, he looked briefly at the crowd and simply shrugged. The video of this shrug instantly blew up on Twitter. In this process, fans ended up talking about the six-time NBA champion, Michael Jordan.
NBA Twitter on Ben Simmons shrugging like Michael Jordan
In Game 1 of the 1992 NBA Finals, Michael Jordan was shooting three-pointers in quick succession. While the NBA community witnessed Jordan’s brilliance with their jaws dropped, Jordan simply shrugged for he was surprised by this performance himself.
Fans online were quick to state that with the shrug, Ben Simmons has channelized his inner Michael Jordan energy. “Bro turned into MJ,” said a tweet in particular. They found this move to be pretty hilarious as they gave him the tag of being a “funny guy.” Some fans were surprised that Simmons pulled a Jordan after shooting only two, free throws. Others even stated that it is hard to hate Simmons and also appreciated Simmons for embracing the hostility and not reacting bitterly.
Here are some of the reactions from NBA Twitter:
Bro turned into MJ after going 2 for 2 at the line💀
— Queens Get The MONEY 🗣💰 (@TheRealVoice83) November 23, 2022
Nah man. The shoulder shrug for 2 free throws in the first quarter is insane https://t.co/gE9cUtakaG
— Chiefs Keef (@Schubey_Doo) November 23, 2022
you just have to laugh at this point https://t.co/lGKZg8Z5YE
— nes (@fiorasgf) November 23, 2022
This is the funniest thing I have ever seen https://t.co/rrja3ZGctN
— Fred4 (@FredF1Fan4) November 23, 2022
🙄
Hard not to hate this dude https://t.co/bmxUZ1JLkL— Shandy (@Shandy556) November 23, 2022
Ben is embracing the moment in Philly, gotta give him credit for that https://t.co/uYJbxYlxfT
— The Outlet Forum (@TheOutletForum) November 23, 2022
— mj23_world (@mj23_world) November 23, 2022
Jordan 🤷🏽♂️
— 👁️⃤ J☥G 🎭 (@JItheGoon) November 23, 2022
The return to Philadelphia
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After this hilarious moment, Ben Simmons also used the antic of shush-ing the crowd. However, his glory didn’t last for long as he missed two free throws in the second half of the game. The boisterous chants of the Philly fans continued for short spans throughout the game. Eventually, Ben Simmons ended with 11 points with 11 assists on the night. The Brooklyn Nets lost to the Philadelphia 76ers?106-115.
Post-game, Ben Simmons spoke to the media. He thought the 76ers’ fans would be louder. With that out of the way, Simmons stated that he is in a happy place. He said, ?I’m happy. I do what I love. To be out there and having that experience was amazing.?
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What do you think about Ben Simmons’ shrug? Let us know in the comments below.