“Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid can’t play with each other!”
“Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid will never will a championship as a pairing!”
“Ben Simmons will go to the Lakers!”
“Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid aren’t even friends!”
Ah, those are some of our favorite quotes from Philadelphia 76er fans and media. The insinuation that Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid do not like each other, as well as will never win next to each other, is an idea that fans typically use as a crutch. Now after a few years of not being able to get past the second round of the playoffs, Sixers’ fans and media start to play the blame game. I can’t go blaming people either- as I have also fallen victim to these random thoughts, just trying to find an explanation for some of the Sixers’ losses.
However, in an interview with The Daily Jawn on Wednesday, former Philadelphia 76er and teammate of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, Corey Brewer, shot down those claims.
Corey Brewer mentions that “Ben and Joel genuinely like each other. They wanna be good and they wanna win.” Shortly before this, Brewer described how, despite what people may hear, the Sixers’ locker room had a good dynamic. He described that all of the guys “were great together,” and later concluding that the claims and assumptions by people not there are wrong.
This may not be ground breaking news, however, it’s reassuring to hear how Ben and Joel, along with the overall dynamic of the locker room. Many people began to speculate that Jimmy Butler was “a problem,” (which was later likely shown to be wrong), so Corey saying this goes to further show that it was not likely Butler, either.
Later in the interview, Corey also recounted his experience in guarding James Harden in that prolific moment during his short Philadelphia stint. Brewer credited the fans for constantly motivating him with their energy, and said “Philadelphia is the best place I’ve played.”
You can catch the full interview here:
Mandatory Credit – © Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
