On the heels of NFL players being targeted by President Donald Trump for various forms of protests and demonstrations during the pregame national anthem, NBA media days around the league are giving players plenty of chances to sound off with their thoughts about the whole situation with the basketball media. On Wednesday, Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers sounded off with his blunt reaction to Trump’s recent comments about the anthem protests.
“I think he’s an idiot,” Simmons said in a radio interview with FOX Sports News 500 in Australia. “If we were in Australia right now, a lot of people would call him a d–khead, and that’s how I personally feel.”
I have a news flash for Simmons. A lot of people in America are probably saying similar things as well.
Simmons was just warming up, because he was about to go a little deeper with his thoughts and commentary.
“Everyone respects America, and everyone thinks America is a great country, but he’s the wrong person to be in charge of it,” Simmons, a native of Australia, continued. “I think, as a man, you’re not supposed to be tweeting like that, saying remarks about women, what people should be doing, how you talk to leaders of other countries, and putting America in a situation where it doesn’t need to be like that.”
The comments from Simmons are not unique in relation to Trump, as many have criticized how the president uses Twitter and speaks on various topics without much care for being politically correct and instead just being the straight shooter he tends to be. But this is the first time Simmons has really had the platform to sound off on this type of subject after sitting out an entire season after being drafted with the top overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.
We’ll see if Simmons keeps up the political talk moving forward as other players around the league have shown the desire to do.
