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Ben Simmons has been selected to the All-Star game for the third-straight time, though it came as no surprise to coach Doc Rivers.
Coaches talk to each other and lobby for their players leading up to the voting. Rivers did that with Simmons and Tobias Harris, and he was a bit surprised that other coaches thought he was a shoo-in.
“They were like, Ben? Why you calling about him,” Rivers told FortyEightMinutes.com and other media after the Sixers win over the Raptors.
Rivers said he told Ben that “there’s no way you’re not on (the All-Star team)” leading up to the announcement. The coach added that he thought Tobias Harris should have made it, telling reporters that he felt Harris was playing at an “All-Star” level.
Simmons Blessed to be Selected
Simmons said it was a “blessing” to be named to the All-Star game.
“Not many people get the opportunity to do it, so I’m very grateful to be in this position and to be able to say I’m a three-time All-Star in the best league in the world,” said Simmons, who’s sporting a 20.3 player efficiency rating this season (slightly up from his career average of 20.1).
While there were rumblings of other star players feeling hesitancy toward attending and playing in the All-Star game (Bradley Beal mentioned that he was “in that boat” last week), Simmons is not among them.
“I have to I got selected,” Simmons maintained when asked if he’ll be attending the events in Atlanta. “I believe the NBA is going to make it very safe for us…It’s my job. I love what I do and I’m going to be there.”
