During Game 1 of the Philadelphia 76ers’ series vs. the Boston Celtics, home fans troll Ben Simmons with a “not a rookie” chant while Simmons is at the free-throw line.
Simmons didn’t play last season because of a foot injury, so he’s still a rookie this season by the NBA’s rules, but there’s been a running argument that he’s not a true rookie because he had all last season to become accustomed to the NBA lifestyle.
In particular, Utah Jazz fans have taken up that argument in support of their star rookie guard, Donovan Mitchell. I think this is just a non issue. Simmons by the rules is a rookie, and if fans can find anything to troll someone for, they’ll do it.
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— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) May 1, 2018
#Celtics fans with a "he's a rookie" chant with Tatum on the line ?@jaytatum0 for Rookie of the Year! ? pic.twitter.com/vdZaZDpN5L
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) May 1, 2018
How about we just give them co-rookies of the year and call it a day. The NBA’s future looks bright, all the young guns are going to be the future stars of the NBA.
