Ben Simmons Calls Doc Rivers ‘Piece of S**t’ for Throwing Him Under the Bus, Effectively Ending His 76ers Career

Doc Rivers admitted he "had a terrible press conference" after that Game 7, but Ben Simmons says the damage went deeper than one bad night. Five years later, the Kings guard has put his feelings on camera.

In ESPN's Being Ben, which premieres Sunday, he finally said what he thought when he heard his coach's answer.

"How did I feel? I was like, 'What a piece of s---,'" Simmons, now 30, said in the documentary. The target was Rivers' response after the 76ers lost Game 7 of the 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals to the Atlanta Hawks.

Simmons did not stop at the insult. "When you have a relationship with somebody and they have your back, I think certain things are supposed to be handled certain ways," he said. "But then you also gotta look at it from the side of 'He's got a job.' You know, he's making his money. He ain't trying to lose his job or anything like that. So, when times get tough, people start panicking. People throw people under the bus, and that's just — it's just what happened."

The comment he reacted to was brief. Rivers was asked whether Simmons could be the point guard on a championship team, and he said he did not know the answer "right now." Simmons had struggled in the series and passed up a dunk in the closing moments of the Game 7 loss. That made him an easy target, and Rivers' words gave the criticism a coach's stamp.

The fallout was quick. Rivers' words appeared to have been the final straw, as Simmons asked for a trade in the following offseason. Wojnarowski then reported that Simmons did not plan to play another game for Philadelphia.

Rivers' defense started months before the documentary. He said that the remark was portrayed as doubt about Simmons. He added that Simmons and agent Rich Paul knew he had cleared it up with them. At 76ers Media Day, he said the question came right after a Game 7, and he "wasn't answering anything."

His position has shifted since. In a later look back at the saga, Rivers called his own press conference "terrible" and acknowledged that his words may have added to the scrutiny of Simmons.

The reaction in Philadelphia never favored the coach. Some reporters accused Rivers of "brazenly lying" when he disputed how his answer was read. Another report said Ben Simmons felt nobody apologized and Rivers was never reprimanded.

Joel Embiid's own comments, which pointed to the passed-up dunk as the moment the series slipped away, did not help the mood either.

Both men get to tell their side in Being Ben. Simmons said that the 2008 title-winning coach went into self-preservation mode. Rivers is among those interviewed for the film.

Simmons' anger at a coach who should have had his back is no longer a rumor. The film still leaves open the question of what Rivers really meant that night.