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Sixers' Ben Simmons Named MVP for Slam Magazine's Call of Duty Tournament

Sixers superstar Ben Simmons has been showcasing his Call of Duty skills as he was named the MVP for Slam Magazine's first tournament.

Justin Grasso

Sixers' Ben Simmons Named MVP for Slam Magazine's Call of Duty Tournament
Sixers' Ben Simmons Named MVP for Slam Magazine's Call of Duty Tournament /

The crossover between video games and the NBA is an interesting one. Nowadays, it's hardly surprising to hear that NBA players would prefer to spend their downtime streaming video games on Twitch, instead of being out and about.

Philadelphia 76ers star guard Ben Simmons has established himself as one of those guys. That's not to say Simmons never leaves the house outside of hitting the gym for basketball, but the Sixers' All-Star has spent his fair share of time online playing games.

And with all of the time he has put into playing video games over the years, it comes as no surprise he's really talented with his off-court hobby. Lately, Simmons has had a lot more time to be able to stream his game sessions on Twitch.

Not only is he rehabbing a lower-back impingement, but the NBA star is also currently caught in the league's hiatus with the coronavirus going around. So Simmons has had the opportunity to play a lot more with his fellow NBA players.

On Saturday night, Slam Magazine decided to make an event out of the occasion. With all of the NBA players bored and ready to play video games, Slam put together its first Call of Duty tournament among pro athletes.

Along with Simmons was Utah Jazz's Royce O'Neale, New Orleans Pelicans' Josh Hart, and Kentucky commit, Terrence Clarke. On the other side was Miami Heat's Meyers Leonard, Utah's Donovan Mitchell, Chicago Bulls' Zach LaVine, and Portland Trail Blazers' Mario Hezonja.

While both teams did a stellar job with some standout performances by their respective NBA players, Simmons' team took home the virtual silverware. And after the tournament went down, Slam went ahead and named Simmons the magazine's MVP of their first Call of Duty tournament this past weekend.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA

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