Photo Credit: Michael Dwyer/AP

Australia Head Coach Bothered By Negative Press For Ben Simmons

Australia’s biggest sports personality, NBA star Ben Simmons, has made lots of people mad by reportedly leaving hundreds of children devastated after sneaking away from a basketball camp, refusing to sign autographs or take pictures.

Simmons himself hosted two training sessions for kids aged seven to 17 at Hills in Sydney, before snubbing the fans who were waiting infront of the gym. This and the fact that Simmons withdrew from Team Australia for the World Cup, after previously stating that he would be part of said team, caused many Australian broadcasters and reporters to leash out and criticize Simmons.

Australia head coach Andrej Lemanis however does not like all the heat Simmons has been getting and thinks it’s unjustified.

Per ESPN:

“That sort of stuff bothers me. Ben’s at the high end of that [criticism] because of the superstar status that he carries. But I saw when Bogut was coming through and people used to get on him. These guys are passionate about playing for their country, and they want to play. There are a lot of other forces pulling at them. They are men who are managing careers and have decisions to make, and we support them in all of that.

“They know what’s going on and what’s best for them in managing their careers, and we 100 per cent support them, and 100 per cent support him [Simmons] in doing what is right for him at any particular point in time.”