'Go home': Teammate reveals shock details of Ben Simmons' 76ers exit in new interview

New insight into Ben Simmons' explosive exit from Philadelphia has been revealed by former teammate Danny Green.

The three-time NBA championship guard alleged that the Australian deliberately had himself thrown out of training in 2022, during an ugly feud with the team.

It all kicked off after the 2021 playoffs, where Simmons struggled massively, particularly at the free throw line, and was a big part of their shock second round loss to Atlanta.

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In the aftermath, comments made by 76ers coach Doc Rivers to the media about Simmons led to the Aussie walking away from the team and refusing to show up for the pre-season, pushing for a trade out of there.

His refusal to be there for training camp and then the actual season resulted in nearly $26m of fines and withheld salary across 2021 and 2022.

According to Green, who was on the team at the time, Simmons, who had a max contract worth $250m with the 76ers, went public with his trade request in order to beat Philadelphia to the punch in their attempts to move him elsewhere.

"It was after the playoffs, when Doc had that statement, I don't think he took kind to it," Green said on the No Fouls Given podcast.

"(The media) asked (coach Rivers) if (Simmons) was a championship point guard right now, and he said 'I don't know', which is fair to say, we hadn't won a championship.

"Then I think the fact that there was rumblings of Philly exploring different ideas of moving him came out, to where it was like, 'Nah f--- that, I want to be traded,' break up with you before you break up with me type scenario.

"So then he wanted to be traded and he didn't show up. We were going to go meet with him, fly out there to see him and try to talk to him, he told them, 'don't waste your time'.

"He communicated with one or two guys on the team he was still cool with, like Shake Milton and somebody else, but everybody else, he treated us like we were front office."

Simmons did then return to the 76ers on the eve of the season due to the mounting fines, but it didn't last long.

He was kicked out of training for not taking it seriously and suspended for one game by the team.

The suspension was moot however as Simmons took his ball and went home, and never played for Philly again. He later cited mental health issues for his refusal to show up.

Green believes Simmons showed up with every intention of having himself thrown out of the gym.

"It took some time, he came back for a couple practices, got thrown out of practice purposefully," Green said.

"He had sweats on, phone in the pocket, did a couple drills. (Coach Rivers) was like, 'Yo, come on in bruh', he was like, 'Nah I'm good', 'Alright get the f--- out then, go home'."

And "go home", he did.

Simmons was traded to Brooklyn for James Harden in a shocking mid-season trade in 2022, where he would play out the remainder of his max contract.

He then signed a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Clippers for the 2024-2025 season, but elected not to join any team for this current season.

The 29-year-old has stated his focus is on getting his body right, after dealing with consistent back issues for many years.

He hasn't ruled out a return to the NBA or even to Philadelphia, posting on Instagram that he would "hoop there for free".

"It's deeper than what they make y'all believe, which is why it keeps pushing," he said.

"(Right now) the focus is getting the body to 100 per cent before putting my health on the line again ... like I have been the last few years."

Green spent three years with Philly between 2020 and 2022. He won a championship with the Lakers the year before signing there, and was previously a two-time champion with San Antonio.