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Ben Simmons has not appeared in a regular-season NBA basketball game since June 20, 2021.
One of the last images we had of Simmons was of the three-time All-Star passing up a wide-open dunk in the fourth quarter of Game 7 against the Atlanta Hawks in the 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals.
Ben Simmons (10) of the Brooklyn Nets prepares to shoot a free throw against the Philadelphia 76ers during a preseason game Oct. 3, 2022, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. (Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
That moment was the last straw for the relationship between the Philadelphia 76ers and Simmons. Simmons held out for the season before being traded to the Brooklyn Nets in February for James Harden. He never appeared in a game for the Nets due to back issues.
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Simmons returned to the court Monday night against his former team, playing 19 minutes with six points, four rebounds and five assists.
"Amazing. I’m grateful just to be able to step on an NBA floor again. I had a lot of fun out there," Simmons said after the Nets’ 127-108 loss to the Sixers, according to the New York Post. "I thought I’d be nervous, but I wasn’t nervous. I was excited. To have that feeling to be able to come out and know you’re going to play on an NBA floor, especially at Barclays with some great players, it’s excitement."
Ben Simmons of the Brooklyn Nets pauses on the bench during player introductions before a preseason game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Barclays Center Oct. 3, 2022, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Elsa/Getty Images)
It’s the first time Brooklyn’s new "Big Three" have played together. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant both played 19 minutes in the first half.
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"Anytime anybody comes back, it’s going to take some time," Irving said. "He’s going to love playing with us. … But for him to be out there for his first game, and for us to experience it with him, it’s something we can remember for the rest of the season, and it’s something we got through. This is day one, highly anticipated. I’m glad it went his way on some easy baskets, and he made some great plays. But, obviously, he knows he has a ways to go before he gets to feeling like his true self."
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Simmons did not attempt a shot from beyond the 3-point line and missed both free throws he attempted — a problem in his Philadelphia days — but simply getting back on the court was an accomplishment for the point guard.
Ben Simmons (10) of the Brooklyn Nets passes the ball as Tobias Harris (12) of the Philadelphia 76ers defends in the first half during a preseason game at Barclays Center Oct. 3, 2022 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Elsa/Getty Images)
"I was pleased overall," Nets head coach Steve Nash said, according to ESPN. "I think it's all so new. We got to go through this. Guys need time together. Ben's playing with a totally different unit than he has in the past, different style. ... It's going to be ugly at times, but I thought as the half wore on you definitely started to see glimpses of the potential.
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"The way the ball moved. The way they were hounding the basketball defensively. I thought Ben looked pretty good overall and grew into the game through the half."
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