Ben Simmons says he is not in the right mental state to come back to the Philadelphia 76ers.
On Friday, the 25-year-old NBA star met with his team, where he opened up about not being “prepared mentally” to rejoin the team, USA Today reports. Simmons added that he “accepted everyone needs to take responsibility, including himself.”
This comes after Simmons was suspended for one game on Wednesday for failing to participate in team drills. He showed up on the court Thursday for a shootaround ahead of the Sixers’ opener against the Brooklyn Nets. The New York Post reports that the NBA star may not put in any game time.
“And we’ll respect his privacy and space during this time,” Philadelphia forward Tobias Harris said in a tweet on Friday. “When he’s ready, we will embrace our brother with love and handle our business on the court. That’s it, that’s all.”
Simmons has previously been fined for missing games, practices and team meetings, costing him nearly $2 million this season, ESPN reports.
