In a wide-ranging interview with former teammate JJ Redick on The Old Man and the Three podcast, Ben Simmons explained why he requested a trade from the Sixers ahead of last season.
Simmons said that after his collapse against the Atlanta Hawks in the 2021 Eastern Conference Semifinals, he was in a “dark place” mentally.
“I think it was like, you know, I’m already dealing with a lot mentally, just in life, as a lot of people do,” he said. “But it got to a point where, after that series, I’m getting—it’s like, from the people that you’re supposed to have the support from, or that, you know, that comfort from.