Once the NBA Finals ended, the biggest story in basketball quickly became the NBA Draft, which featured one of the most high profile potential #1 picks in recent history, Ben Simmons. Simmons has been compared to LeBron James for much of the year, and even recreated LeBron’s iconic Slam cover when he graced the front of the magazine last month.
Like LeBron, Simmons was selected with the first overall pick in the draft, and he’ll begin his much talked about NBA career with the Philadelphia 76ers. During a phone interview with former ESPN anchor Dan Patrick, Simmons talked about the aftermath of his selection, which included a Facetime call with LeBron himself, who hit the LSU standout to congratulate him on going #1. After Simmons expressed excitement over finally meeting LBJ on the court, King James hit the youngster with a very stunt-heavy response.
Simmons: “I told him that I look forward to finally matching up against him.”
Patrick: “What did he say about that?”
Simmons: “He just flipped the camera and it was the championship trophy, so I couldn’t say anything back.”
That’s how you humble someone, and kill their hype. The 2016-2017 NBA schedules haven’t been released as yet, but you can bet the Cavs and Sixers first meeting will be a nationally televised affair.
