Philadelphia 76ers fans concerned about Ben Simmons-Kendall Jenner romance

Reports that Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons is dating Kendall Jenner while living in Los Angeles has Sixers fans worried.

Philadelphia 76ers 6’10” point guard Ben Simmons is living the life most people can only dream about. He is the NBA Rookie of the Year with a $6 million annual salary.

As an NBA superstar-in-the-making, many more multi-million dollar contracts will fill the next decade of his life.

And, to top it all off, according to TMZ and several other news sites, Kendall Jenner, the highest-paid model in the world, is now living with Simmons.

Can life get any better?

And to think, Simmons just turned 22. His Las Vegas birthday party was attended by Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, rapper Meek Mill, 76ers co-owner Michael Rubin, NBA MVP and member of the world champion Golden State Warriors, Kevin Durant and, of course, Kendall Jenner.

But a lot of 76ers fans are not happy about the off season exploits of the rising star. In fact, there is constant criticism on Philadelphia talk radio that Simmons has been seen more on TMZ this summer than he has on a basketball court.

There seems to be three main concerns about Simmons:

First, a player that is a jump shot away from basketball immortality should be spending a lot more time in the gym. Ben Simmons’ fatal flaw is missing an outside shot in his impressive repertoire.  In the 2017-18 season, Simmons attempted only 11 3-point shots and didn’t make one.  He is the only starting point guard in the NBA to not make a 3-pointer.

To be fair, all of Simmons’ shots behind the arc were end of the quarter heaves at the basket. The average Ben Simmons 3-pointer is past half court.

But it’s not just 3-pointers; Simmons suffers from severe jump shot aversion syndrome from anywhere on the court. His missing jumper was a liability during the playoffs. The Boston Celtics laid back and dared him to launch one.

Maybe Simmons doesn’t like to take jump shots because his shooting form has a lot to be desired.

You would think an NBA player who is missing a jump shot would try and find one in the offseason. Simmons’ teammate Markelle Fultz, who has his own jump shot issues, has been working non-stop to prove he deserved to be picked first overall in the 2017 NBA Draft. Sixers star Joel Embid has been joining Fultz’s workouts.

Early reports are that Fultz will return with his jump shot problems behind him. The same can’t be said about Simmons.

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The next concern is that Simmons is spending way to much time in Los Angeles and liking it way too much. Is it possible that the young Sixers star has caught L.A. fever?

LeBron James reportedly wanted to join the Los Angeles Lakers more because of Los Angeles than the team. James’ choice wasn’t just about championships, but lifestyle too.

One of the reasons James was even considering Philadelphia as a landing spot was to play with Simmons, who LeBron has coached, mentored and befriended. Simmons and LeBron also share an agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Management.

Kawhi Leonard is a member of the Toronto Raptors for now, but reportedly still wants to move closer to home outside of Los Angeles when he becomes a free agent after this year.

Now that Simmons has spent a few months at Hollywood parties, dating a internationally renowned beauty and living in Beverly Hills, can Philadelphia keep him? There is already speculation that it won’t and Ben will leave to join LeBron and Kawhi to form the next super-team.

Finally, there is the Kardashian Curse. Kendall Jenner’s sister Kylie explained the curse on the TV show Keeping up with the Kardashians on the E! network. “The Kardashian curse is every male figure that comes and dates a Kardashian. Their life kind of just goes downhill after that.” That pretty much sums it up.

Is it real? Ask Lamar Odom, Reggie Bush, James Harden, Tristan Thompson, Miles Austin, Derrick Ward and Kris Humphries, all professional athletes who either dated or married one of the Kardashian sisters and watched as their careers or game suffered.

Maybe all the concerns are unfounded. Maybe Ben Simmons is just out enjoying being 22. But Philadelphia 76ers fans have a right to worry. They’ve been waiting a long time for a team that can contend; and now that they have that team, they don’t want to see it all ruined by an off-court lifestyle.

After all, it was a great Philadelphia trainer who warned about how a beautiful woman can change a man’s perspective.

All will be forgiven, of course, if Ben Simmons elevates his game with Kendall cheering him on in the stands at The Wells Fargo Center.

If that’s the case, “Bendall” will quickly become Philadelphia’s favorite couple.