Ben Simmons made a decision to record the time in his life between his senior year in high school and the night he was drafted back in 2016 by the Philadelphia 76ers with the first overall pick. After spending what was supposed to be his rookie year on the injured list, the versatile forward is now set for a breakout with the Sixers. But before we move forward with Simmons, we have to learn about what got him to this point. One of the moments that shaped his education about the business of basketball was his time spent with LSU.
Simmons was open about his displeasure with the NCAA as he recorded his Showtime documentary ‘One and Done’. Simmons constantly questioned why the NCAA can make millions upon millions on the likeness on himself and other players. He added on to those comments in a recent interview with his agent Maverick Carter on the episode of the ‘Uninterrupted’ show, ‘Kneading Dough’.
Maverick Carter:
All the way up till the draft. And when I look at that there was either two ways you were thinking: it was either a business decision, like i’m gonna make this cause I know it can sell and it became a Showtime doc, or there was something you wanted to show, like “I want to take people on this journey, I want to show something.” Which one was it for you?
Ben Simmons:
It was, it was, it was more about showing people the lifestyle that student athletes live and it’s not how they think it is and how it should be. So it was more about just exposing that.
MC:
So obviously after Montverde, You went to LSU you were out, one and done, Is there even a point to go to college for six or seven months?
BS:
I mean, if we didn’t, a lot of people would be losing money so I think that’s the main reason. Obviously, the NCAA, if they didn’t have the stars coming through then people wouldn’t be watching.
MV:
If I was as talented as you, would see a point of being in college for six or seven months of being there.
BS:
And I think no. I think I would have learned a lot more being around professional athletes. Looking at it now I don’t even really know what I learned financially or just being a person at LSU. I think I’ve learned a lot more with this whole year being in Philly and being a pro than I did at LSU.
MC:
So when you arrived at LSU did they have your jersey in the bookstore?
BS:
Jersey everywhere and they had billboards and before I got there they had it’s like a saying, it said 25 is coming. So, they couldn’t put your name there, but they can put your number and everybody knew I was No. 25, so.
MC:
Was the billboard on campus?
BS:
All around Louisiana.
MC:
The whole state, everywhere. Wow (Yeah) It was portrayed he’s going to be the savior of LSU, he’s coming. At what point did it start to bother you?
BS:
I think when they started asking more of me, more photo shoots and just meeting with them with certain things I have to do during the day like I, I’d have class and then go lift go practice, and then “Oh, Ben you gotta stay and do media and the photo shoot.” So I’d be kind of annoyed like “What am I getting out of this?”
MC:
So when you saw the billboards, how did that make you feel the business of college sports? Like, what did you feel the business of this is about?
BS:
It’s a dirty business and you just had to, I mean you had to put up with it, but at the same time it just told me a lot, you know, I have the image and people are going to use that, but now I have the opportunity to control that and what I do and who I work with so I mean it helped me, but at the same time it was very, I felt it was a really sneaky kind of.
MC:
Do you think that’s eventually something you want to take on and talk about? How do we fix this in America, this AU, college—
BS:
I think I will do it while I’m playing. I don’t think I want to leave it, you know, it’s something that I feel I want to do while I’m playing and in some way help even with the documentary I feel like that was the start of it.
You can check out the full interview below, courtesy of Uninterrupted.
