Ben Simmons, the newest member of the Brooklyn Nets has announced what jersey number he will be taking up as a Net. In his short career as a Sixer, he wore the number 25. Now as a Net he’ll be dawning the number 10 and has coined himself a new nickname.
Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers were one wild relationship. The number 1 pick that never played his rookie season. In his second season, he won Rookie of the Year. By his third season, he led the league in steals and made his first All-NBA team. And that was it, that was his peak at Philadelphia.
In his 4th season, his averages and confidence went down. He became passive and afraid to score. Simmons anyway was afraid of taking a 3 as if his life depended on it. And in the 2020-21 NBA playoffs we saw a Ben Simmons afraid to win.
All the blame for the loss fell on him and he got shipped to the Nets. He wanted a change of scenery and to fully cement that by changing his jersey number. He’s no longer Ben 25 from Philly. But he’s now Ben 10. Simmons has switched his jersey number from 25 to 10.
Why did Ben Simmons switch from 25 to 10?
Apart from the fact of it being a completely new start for Ben Simmons, there is one other reason for Ben switching. Bill Melchionni played for the New York Nets in the early ’70s. In his time there he was a 3-time all-star and a 2 time ABA champion. And he wore the number 25.
The Nets honored him by retiring his jersey. Meaning it was not available for him to take in the first place. Ben’s next step was to pick a number that helped his brand. And what’s a better brand than the world-famous cartoon Ben-10.
Ben Simmons: “Ben 10.”
🔥 pic.twitter.com/fmekPVOX4A— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) February 11, 2022
Also, in the world of sports in general, the number 10 is an extremely wanted one. Like Lionel Messi for Barcelona or Kobe Bryant for team USA. Is that the level of impact Ben Simmons will have on the Nets? At least that’s what the Nets and their fans hope for.
