While there is a spirit of sportsmanship shared amongst the players in the NBA, there are also moments where criticism runs rampant. Ever since 27-year-old Ben Simmons was traded to the Brooklyn Nets last year, many people have voiced their opinion on the reason for the same. A few defended the player, while most others criticized his actions. A former NBA star recently gave an interview, wherein he threw shade not only at star Joel Embiid but also at Los Angeles Lakers Legend Shaquille O?Neal.

Embiid and Simmons were expected to take the Philadelphia 76ers to new heights. However, things didn’t turn out well for the duo and Simmons took the blame for their continuous failures. 3x NBA All-Star seems to think otherwise, though.

Gilbert Arenas defends Ben Simmons

Former Washington Wizards star Gilbert Arenas recently sat down for an interview with VladTV. During the same, when the topic of discussion switched to the 76ers? consistent losses over the past few seasons, Arenas defended the gameplay of Ben Simmons.

He mentioned that Simmons was first-team all-defense for a reason. However, he was criticized by his own team for not playing well. Upon looking back at the series, Arenas maintains that Simmons did a great job defensively. Instead of giving him credit for what he did, the 76ers criticized Simmons’ skills, according to the interviewee.

?If we?re going to put blame on someone, I?m always gonna blame the most talented and the most naturally gifted of the group.??That person, according to Arenas, is Joel Embiid, the 2023 NBA MVP. The 3x NBA All-Star then compared the dynamics of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid to the former Lakers star duo of Shaquille O?Neal and the late Kobe Bryant.

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According to Arenas, Kobe was the player who wanted to win. The player who wanted to be the best that he can be. Shaq, on the other hand, was ?a truly god-gifted? player in nature. However, he was not putting in the work to tap into his full potential. Bryant practiced 3 to 4 times a day to improve his craft. Shaq used to practice whenever he felt like it.

Arenas felt the same thing about Embiid. He claimed that just because the 6x All-Star was not putting in the work, it caused Simmons to absorb the blame. Arenas believes that if Embiid put more effort into improving his craft, the entire team could be carried by his dominance.

Ben Simmons left Philadelphia in 2022 to join the Brooklyn Nets. During the Eastern Conference Semifinals in 2023, Simmons? former team lost comprehensively to the Boston Celtics. This proved that dismissing Simmons from the team did not solve all the problems. Bearing that thought in mind, Simmons even trolled the team during the game via social media.

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Through his comments, Arenas was able to criticize someone who wasn?t even a part of the conversation to begin with, Shaq. What are your thoughts on Arenas’ take? Let us know in the comments.