76ers' Patrick Beverley shares Ben Simmons' 'corny' reaction to hostile Philly crowd

Veteran guard Patrick Beverley is only in his first season with the Philadelphia 76ers. However, he already understands why the area has beef with former No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons nearly two years since he's been gone. 

Last week, Simmons made his third return to the City of Brotherly Love and unsurprisingly drew boos and unkind words from the Philly faithful. However, he also rubbed Beverley the wrong way after the now-Brooklyn Net seemed incapable of simple human interaction. On the latest edition of his podcast, "The Pat Bev Pod," Beverley revealed a hilarious exchange with Simmons at the free throw line that left the Sixer speechless. 

When Beverley asked why fans were treating him so harshly, Simmons said dryly, "They booing me? I thought they was booing you." 

"I didn't say not a word to him the rest of the game," Beverley said.

Beverley called the response "corny," adding that it seemed impossible to even talk to Simmons.

Simmons ultimately got the last laugh, sort of. The Nets defeated the 76ers 136-121, but he didn't factor too much into the result, recording zero points with nine rebounds and five assists over roughly 14 minutes of action. 

As the top pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, Simmons showed flashes during his time in Philly of the player the 76ers hoped he'd become but ultimately never delivered on the promise. After four seasons of injury setbacks and underachieving teams, he requested a trade, holding out for the 2021-22 campaign before being shipped to Brooklyn. 

They say time heals all wounds, but even though Simmons said after the game that the hostility from Philly fans "wasn't that deep," it doesn't appear either side is letting bygones be bygones anytime soon. 

"It's funny to me," Simmons told C.J. Holmes of the New York Daily News. "I got grown men p-ssed off and yelling — I enjoy that."