One of the biggest knocks on Ben Simmons is that he’s a star-caliber player who simply cannot handle criticism. He hasn’t played this season with the 76ers after Doc Rivers called him out following the Sixers’ playoff loss to the Atlanta Hawks. And last week, Shaquille O’Neal absolutely ripped Simmons for his absence this season.
Well, at least according to Shaq, Simmons essentially proved the Hall of Famer’s point.
In the rant on TNT’s Inside the NBA, Shaq wouldn’t call Simmons by name, describing him as “soft” and a “crybaby” who can’t take criticism. It turned out that Simmons took notice of the segment because he reached out to Shaq.
