Sixers Point Guard Ben Simmons Criticizes Melbourne Casino For Racial Discrimination

by Collin HelwigAugust 12, 2019, 9:43 amNews, Z-Home Slider >

No more than a few weeks ago, Philadelphia 76ers point guard Ben Simmons cashed in after signing a five-year, $170 million contract to stay with Philly. Although money no longer appears as a subject for Simmons to worry about, the manner in which he spends said money appeared somewhat more difficult for him than expected, as Simmons recently criticized a Melbourne casino he attended for its alleged racial profiling.

According to Simmons, after he entered the casino with his friends, some clerks proceeded to excessively check two African Americans and Simmons himself for their IDs, while simultaneously neglecting to apply the same excessive treatment toward their fourth friend, who was white. Simmons stated that the entire ordeal left him feeling “uncomfortable.”

In order to further illustrate his displeasure, Simmons used Instagram to attack the casino by releasing a video in which Simmons explained how everything played out and in which he mentioned his confusion as to why some of his friends required further inspection than others. Although Simmons quickly deleted the post, he proceeded to tweet out his reaction and continued to voice his resentment for the casino, while also stating his intent to continue calling out injustices such as the one which he believed himself to fall victim to.

The casino combatted Simmons’ attacks with its own statement shortly afterwards, in which it simply highlighted its policy to routinely check anyone’s ID who might appear younger than 25.

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Aside from arguing with suspected racially insensitive casinos, Simmons has spent his summer mainly working on his craft, with rumors even detailing him adding a long-awaited jump-shot to his basketball arsenal. Simmons even declined an invitation to the FIBA World Cup, thus clearly illustrating his intent to focus on his role with the 76ers, as most expect the team to challenge other squads for an NBA title this year.