Pat Beverley calls out Ben Simmons for trash talking rookie: ‘That’s what I don’t like’

These preseason matches are getting tougher and more intense as they go by, seemingly proving that the players are almost ready to start the new 2023/24 season. In this week’s clash between Sixers and Nets, veteran Patrick Beverley was ejected for after two infractions, and was mostly annoyed by rival Ben Simmons‘ attitude during the contest.

The Philadelphia veteran was tossed out of the game in the fourth quarter after hitting his second technical foul of the night for calling out the Australian star who committed a hard foul against rookie Filip Petrusev.

According to Beverley, the Brooklyn guard had also been bullying the youngster throughout the match and he wasn’t having any of it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZhrqyn0-Wk

“First off, Ben Simmons is a hell of a talent,” Beverley started out by praising his opponent’s skills on his own The Pat Bev Pod. “It’s good seeing him back out there. He looks strong. He impacted the game yesterday. So when it comes to basketball, I don’t have a problem with Ben Simmons. I like Ben Simmons when it comes to basketball.”

The 35-year-old simply couldn’t understand why the Australian would trash talk a young player like Petrusev.

“He was chirping at one of my rookies. Like, c’mon. Filip with an F. You know what I’m saying? You’re chirping at that guy? You foul him hard as f—,” he shared. “I’m talking to you all game, you ain’t saying nothing. Tobias (Harris) cooking your ass, you really ain’t saying nothing… you’ve got eight turnovers… I just didn’t understand the bark from Ben to our rookie.”

In an almost “pick someone your own size” kind of attitude, Beverley insisted during his podcast that Simmons should’ve confronted him, instead of bullying a first-year player.

“Talk to me. I’ve been talking to you all game anyway. Talk to me. That’s what I don’t like,” Pat explained. “But the game, he looked good out there. Jump shot looks good, passed the shit out of it, fast as f—. He impacted the game of basketball so I’m not taking basketball away from him.”

Simmons recently recalled the hardships he endured during his long-injury recovery and said he couldn’t even walk or go up stairs

In a recent interview with Esquire Australia, the 27-year-old reminisced on the days he spent struggling through recovering from his back injury. According to Simmons, he couldn’t do that simplest things like walk up stairs, and regretted the fact that he missed 122 matches in the past two seasons.

“I had a herniated disc, and my right leg wasn’t working,” he shared. “This is what people don’t know. I was struggling walking and little things like going upstairs. I had pain in my knee and in my back just sitting down in cars. The smallest things to me that seemed normal were such a struggle.”

This is the Ben Simmons we’ve all wanted to see. Maybe that back injury really was THAT bad! pic.twitter.com/w4ArIpbKCF

— Adam Westerhout / Courtside Culture (@AdamWesterhout) October 17, 2023

“You could tell in the way I was breathing too because every time I would go to do something I would just be compressed and trying to get ready to brace myself. So to be able to stand up right after this interview and go walk around is a blessing for me,” the guard said.

This summer the Aussie finally had the chance to take his rehabilitation seriously, despite the fact that he missed out on representing his nation during last month’s FIBA World Cup. Sometimes those sacrifices are necessary, as now he feels stronger than ever and ready for another NBA campaign.