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Sixers' Ben Simmons Gets Praised by LeBron James, Kevin Durant During All-Star Draft

LeBron and Durant wanted Ben Simmons on their team.

Justin Grasso

Sixers' Ben Simmons Gets Praised by LeBron James, Kevin Durant During All-Star Draft
Sixers' Ben Simmons Gets Praised by LeBron James, Kevin Durant During All-Star Draft /

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant participated in the 2021 NBA All-Star draft on Thursday night to get the players selected and divided into teams for Sunday evening in Atlanta.

Early on in the draft, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid went off the board as he was selected third-overall by Kevin Durant. Therefore, Embiid will play with his usual head coach, Doc Rivers, who was selected to coach Team Durant.

As for Ben Simmons, he'll be on the other team. To no surprise, Simmons ended up on Team LeBron once again. As a reserve, Simmons was only eligible to be taken in the second round of the draft. Three picks in, LeBron selected Simmons, which disappointed Durant as he wanted the Defensive Player of the Year candidate.

"With my second pick in the second round, I'm gonna go with Ben Simmons. Mr. Play hard every possession from the Philadelphia 76ers," James said.

Not a bad player to receive compliments from, huh? As we know, Simmons and LeBron go back as the Lakers star has taken Simmons under his wing since he was a top prospect coming out of High School. So, the praise wasn't shocking.

But Kevin Durant's disappointed reaction when LeBron selected Simmons was also another form of praise for the Sixers guard. "I wanted Ben Simmons," Durant said as he slowly nodded. "I wanted Ben." Unfortunately for Durant, he won't get the dynamic duo that is Simmons and Embiid at the All-Star game this season. 

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

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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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