Reggie Miller, social media blast Ben Simmons for missing Game 4

Celtics

Reggie Miller, social media blast Ben Simmons for missing Game 4

Probably best for Ben Simmons to avoid social media for the next few days.

The tweets were not very supportive, to put it nicely, after it was announced that Simmons would not be making his expected season debut in Game 4 of the Brooklyn Nets’ first-round series against the Boston Celtics, a potential elimination game with the Nets trailing 3-0.

Acquired by the Nets in a trade deadline deal for James Harden, Simmons has missed the entire season while dealing with mental health concerns and a herniated disc in his back.

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It was reported Friday that, barring any setbacks, Simmons intended to play in Game 4, which would have been his first game as a Net and his first time playing since Game 7 of the 2021 semifinals when he was a member of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Then came the setback.

Simmons reported a return of back soreness on Sunday and was ruled out, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

That news was not received well on Twitter, particularly by NBA Hall of Famer and TNT analyst Reggie Miller, who tweeted that Simmons has no competitive fire.

“This is one of the most pathetic situations that I have ever seen in my life,” Stephen A. Smith said on ESPN. “He ain’t going to war. He ain’t going in the octagon. He’s not going in the boxing ring. It’s pulling teeth to get this man to play basketball. It’s pathetic. It’s sad.” 

Other members of the media did not hold back either…

Here are some other standout Simmons tweets…

Note: Games 4-6 of the Brooklyn Nets-Boston Celtics series will be aired on NBC Sports Boston and can also be streamed on NBCSportsBoston.com or with the MyTeams App, which you can download below.