‘People Throw People Under The Bus’ – Ben Simmons Picks at Old Wounds From Doc Rivers’ 2021 Meltdown

Aliasgar Ayaz Sun, October 18, 2026 at 11:07 AM UTC

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Jan 27, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons (R) fist bumps head coach Doc Rivers (L) before a game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Wells Fargo Center. © Bill Streicher-USA TODAY SportsBen Simmons detailed how he felt about Doc Rivers’ comments after the Philadelphia 76ers’ painful playoff exit in 2021. In ESPN’s new documentary “Being Ben,” the three-time All-Star revisited the moment that damaged his relationship with his former coach.

Ben Simmons detailed how he felt about Doc Rivers’ comments after the Philadelphia 76ers’ painful playoff exit in 2021.

In ESPN’s new documentary “Being Ben,” the three-time All-Star revisited the moment that damaged his relationship with his former coach. His comments also brought back questions about how the Sixers handled one of the biggest disappointments of that season.

Ben Simmons Details How Doc Rivers Threw Him Under the Bus After Heartbreaking Playoff Collapse

The controversy began after Philadelphia lost to the Atlanta Hawks in Game 7 of the 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals. The Sixers were the No. 1 seed and considered strong favorites, but lost the series 4-3 after blowing big leads in consecutive games.

Philadelphia let an 18-point lead slip away in Game 4 and then lost Game 5 despite leading by as many as 26 points. The Sixers eventually forced a Game 7 but lost 103-96 at home.

Simmons struggled offensively throughout the series, averaging 9.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 8.6 assists. He also made only 15-of-45 free throws against Atlanta, a major problem in close games, as he struggled against the “Hack-a-Ben” strategy.

However, one moment in Game 7 became the biggest talking point.

Late in the game, Simmons decided not to attempt an open dunk and passed to Matisse Thybulle instead. Thybulle was fouled and made one of two free throws.

Joel Embiid later called the sequence a turning point in the loss. Rivers was also asked whether Simmons could be the point guard on a championship team.

“I don’t know that question or the answer to that right now,” Rivers said. “So I don’t know the answer to that.”

Simmons has now explained how that response felt to him. Speaking in “Being Ben”, the three-time All-Star admitted,

“How did I feel? I was like, ‘What a piece of [expletive]. When you have a relationship with somebody, and they have your back, I think certain things are supposed to be handled certain ways.”

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The 2018 Rookie of the Year acknowledged that Rivers had a job to protect, but felt the coach panicked when things went wrong.

“People throw people under the bus, and that’s just… It’s just what happened,” he added.

The loss was not solely Simmons’ fault.

His struggles were real, but Philadelphia’s blown leads and overall performance also played a part. The public focus on one player made the defeat even more difficult to move past.

The relationship never recovered, as Simmons refused to report to training camp ahead of the 2021-22 season while pushing to leave Philadelphia.

The dispute included mental health concerns, and he was eventually traded to the Brooklyn Nets in February 2022 as part of the James Harden deal.

Simmons’ career was then disrupted by back problems and other setbacks. After sitting out the entire 2025-26 season, he signed a one-year deal with the Sacramento Kings in September 2026 as he looked to return to the NBA.

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Rivers, who led the Boston Celtics to the 2008 championship, later said his postgame comments had been misunderstood, arguing that he was not making a judgment about Simmons’ ability to win a title.

However, a November 2021 report said neither the coach nor Embiid had apologized to Simmons for their remarks.

Rivers became the Milwaukee Bucks head coach in 2024 and resigned in April 2026, bringing his coaching career to an end.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.

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Source: “AOL Sports”