‘Anti-Australian conspiracy’: Aussie politician’s epic Ben Simmons rant
On Monday, Tim Watts MP voiced his dismay at the fact Simmons had been overlooked for an All-Star invite six times in recent weeks despite players pulling out with injuries.
Simmons, whose startling rookie numbers this season place him alongside NBA greats Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson, scored the third-most fan votes among Eastern Conference guards but that was not enough for coaches and league commissioner Adam Silver to select him.
However, the door may be ajar again, with a replacement needed for New York Knicks star Kristaps Porzingis, who suffered a season-ending ACL injury this week.
If Simmons is selected to replace Porzingis, he will become the first Australian to receive the honour and the first rookie since Blake Griffin in 2011.
In a speech that has since predictably gone viral, Watts, a member of the Australian House of Representatives, certainly made it clear Simmons should be next picked.
“I rise today to express my outrage at the exclusion of Australian Ben Simmons from this year’s NBA All-Star game,” he opened, before listing some of Simmons’ key stats from his rookie campaign.
He then complains about Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic replacing injured Cleveland Cavaliers forward/centre Kevin Love — “no one with two brain cells to rub together would want Goran Dragic on their team over Ben” — before then expressing his dismay at Joe Ingles missing out on an invite on the three-point competition.
He also accuses the NBA of harbouring an “anti-Australian conspiracy” before finally highlighting the diverse backgrounds of Australia’s nine NBA players — “A perfect reflection of modern Australia.”