Robert Covington takes shot at Philly fans over Ben Simmons

As expected, Ben Simmons was booed by Philly fans during his return to the city, but a former teammate is sticking up for him. Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Ex-Sixer Robert Covington takes shot at Philadelphia fans over Ben Simmons

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Darryn Albert | Last updated 3/12/22

Not everybody is taking sides against Ben Simmons these days.

Ex-Philadelphia 76ers forward Robert Covington responded on Instagram this week to a video of the harsh treatment that Simmons got during his return to Philly on Thursday.

“Philly at its finest,” wrote Covington in a comment. “Now you see why he wanted out.”

Former Sixer Robert Covington (IG user atf_33) chimes in on Ben Simmons' reception last night: pic.twitter.com/HXqu4kReiE

— Austin Krell (@NBAKrell) March 12, 2022

Covington, now with the L.A. Clippers, was one of the original members of the Sixers’ “Process” era, playing for them from 2014 to 2018. He was also teammates there with Simmons, who was drafted in 2016. While Covington developed into one of the better defenders in the league while in Philly, he was up-and-down as a scorer, leading to him sometimes getting booed.

For what it’s worth, Covington then tried to backtrack on Twitter, saying that he never said anything bad about Philly and that he loves the city.

Y’all kill me I never said anything bad about Philly lol. Stop blowing what I said out of proportion. Smh that’s the problem with social media trying to find something out of nothing. That’s Philly fans all day. Didn’t I resign there lol? So of course I loved the city. Boos n all

— Robert Covington (@Holla_At_Rob33) March 12, 2022

When it comes to Simmons, even if Philly fans are notoriously tough, it is safe to say that he deserved every single boo that he got. Simmons did some extremely petty things during his lengthy holdout from the 76ers, so he would probably be booed by every other fan base in the league as well if he did their team like that.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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