Philadelphia 76ers players have remained tight-lipped on what exactly was said to Ben Simmons after the Aussie's first practice with his teammates since his holdout.
After missing the early part of the pre-season and the Sixers' training camp, The three-time All-Star guard made a surprise return to the team last Monday before being cleared to practice once he cleared NBA health and safety protocols.
READ MORE: Sixers startled by 'entirely different' Simmons
However, the 25-year-old had disappeared from the court by the time the media was allowed in and did not speak to the media. The Sixers say the Aussie is expected to talk at some point this week.
After being left to speak for him, Simmons' teammates did not reveal too much about their interactions with him.
"The vibe was what it was," forward Tobias Harris said. "Was it perfect? No. But we're here to do a job and that's to win basketball games. We put on our big boy pants and get on the floor and do what we do."
"We're grown men here. This is not middle school, seventh grade, eighth grade, 'Oh you did this to me.' No. It's, as soon as we step on that floor it's just basketball. Honestly, that's the way it should be."
READ MORE: Newest Aussie NBA star reveals dream to team up with Simmons
However, when pressed about what he told Simmons himself, Harris refused to answer.
"I'm not about to tell you me and this man's conversation," he said.
"I didn't ask him [why he came back]. That's not the start [of the conversation, to say] why'd you come back. So no, I didn't ask him that and our conversation has been as a teammate and I'm not telling you that answer."
"He just showed up, you know? It was not like it was something special," 76ers guard Furkan Korkmaz added. "It was, 'Hey, how are you? What's up?'"
https://twitter.com/TomMoorePhilly/status/1449784523672145923Despite having gone through practice, it remains unclear whether Simmons will suit up for Philadelphia's season-opener against the New Orleans Pelicans, with coach Doc Rivers to adopt a "wait and see" approach on the Aussie's status.
“He was just one of the players,” Rivers said of Simmons' return.
“Just watching him, I thought he was in decent shape. Still not, obviously, game shape.”
from WWOS https://wwos.nine.com.au/basketball/simmons-practices-with-76ers-status-for-opener-unknown/ddde1715-efeb-4dc9-9492-3da976271b8a
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