“Basketball is my life”: Ben Simmons from La Clippers claps to critics, defends his passion for the game

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Ben Simmons Has heard all the criticism and he is not interested in entertaining them. The Los Angeles Clipper Guard has been relentlessly checked over the years, from questions about his commitment to the game to doubt about his resistance through injuries. ESPNS Stephen A. Smith Was one of the loudest voices that challenge Simmons’s passion for basketball, but the 28-year-old sets up the record. In a recent interview with Tomer Azarly from Clutchpoints, Simmons shot back and defended his love for the game and at the same time called out the effects of the media on NBA stories. Despite setbacks in his career – including injuries, a team holdout and back operations – Simmons remains determined to prove his value on the pitch and beyond.

Ben Simmons concludes Stephen A. Smith’s criticism: “I have done it all my life.”

Ben Simmons was a goal of the media examination, with Stephen A. Smith the indictment of questioning his love for basketball. During a appearance in July 2024 on the OGS show, Smith claimed that Simmons had no real passion for the game.

“He doesn’t want to play,” said Smith. “He doesn’t love the game.
Simmons doesn’t buy it. He wiped the criticism and said the media had built up the habit of doing stories that are not rooted in reality.
“They do that,” said Simmons. “Imagine I would only have said whoever and whatever.
He also made it clear that basketball was always at the center of his life, regardless of what critics could say.
“Basketball is my life. I don’t want to play with my life – that is who I am. It is in my family, it is in my blood. That is what I do, how to go – it is, of course. I love the game and the possibilities that I and my family has given.”
Simmons added.

For Simmons, basketball is not just a job or a salary check – it’s all.

Ben Simmons’ way to redemption: overcoming injuries, media examination and new beginning with La Clipper

The NBA trip from Simmons was anything but smooth. After the profit Beginner of the year In 2018 and three consecutive all-star teams began to disguise. A holdout and a persistent back injury kept him away throughout the 2021-22 season. His trade with Brooklyn in 2022 did not offer much relief – the difficulties continued to stack and in 2024 he was subjected to another back operation.

He started the networks this season, but after a contract purchase he landed with the Clipper. In all the ups and downs, he still has an influence on the pitch, an average of 6.0 points, 5.1 rebounds and 6.5 assists in 24.1 minutes per game.
In addition to his own situation, Simmons believes how the media cover the players has a greater impact on the league than people recognize. He believes that unchecked stories can influence the way fans and teams see players, whether it is fair or not.
“It has 100 percent (a negative domino effect) for the league,” said Simmons. “Because nothing is really valid now.
At this point he knows that he cannot control the conversation around him. What he can control is his game and his future in basketball.
Also read: Ben Simmons’ fighting career throws concerns
When the season decreases, Simmons does not let the sound distract. He focuses on ending strongly, proving its value and reminding everyone that his love for basketball never fluctuated. The critics will continue to talk – but Simmons is ready to listen.