Ben Simmons' Sad Story of Secret Philadelphia Charity Work Revealed

Ben Simmons did charity work in Philadelphia that one ever knew about.

NBA fans knew Ben Simmons had it rough in Philadelphia, but no one really knows just how bad he actually had it. Simmons revealed an incredibly sad story about how he had to do charity work in Philadelphia anonymously because he was worried about the response of gifts coming from him.

The story was revealed by The Sydney Morning Herald, as told by Ben and his oldest sister Melissa. Here's the exact quote from the article:

"The clothes most important to him are the ones he gives away. Simmons’ eldest sister, Melissa, runs his community and social-impact work (Ben Simmons Family Foundation), which includes everything from youth leadership programs to partnerships with organisations like Operation Warm (giving winter coats to kids who need them). Last year, he was forced to continue the latter anonymously. “We were a little bit worried that people in Philly might not wear the coat if they knew it was from Ben Simmons,” Melissa admits, noting that a few kids even dropped technology scholarships because his name was attached. “That was heart-wrenching.”"

The story was a fantastic piece of reporting by The Sydney Morning Herald, but very sad at the same time. To have an NBA player be scared of doing charity work because he's worried about the response of his own city is a different level of fear. Hopefully, Ben Simmons will never have to experience something like that, and it gives an added level of perspective as to why he wanted to leave Philadelphia.

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