Philadelphia 76ers suspend Ben Simmons for their season opener - ESPN

12:24 PM ET

Tim BontempsESPN

PHILADELPHIA -- The 76ers announced Tuesday afternoon that Ben Simmons has been suspended one game for conduct detrimental to the team, which will cause him to miss the team's season-opening game in New Orleans against the Pelicans on Wednesday night.

The statement was released late in the team's practice Tuesday, after Simmons had been thrown out of practice by 76ers coach Doc Rivers. Essentially, Simmons was tossed for declining several times to sub into a drill, sources told Wojnarowski.

"I just thought he was a distraction today,'' Rivers said Tuesday after practice. "I didn't think he wanted to do what everybody else was doing. It was early. It wasn't a big deal. I just told him he should leave. We went on with practice.''

The 76ers have fined Simmons $1.4 million for his absence from four preseason games ($360,000 each) and levied numerous team fines for missed practices, on-court workouts and meetings, sources told Wojnarowski. Simmons hasn't earned any money since returning to the team on Oct. 11.

Simmons' reluctance to physically and mentally engage with the Sixers since his return has been a consistent theme, sources told Wojnarowski.

Sixers All-Star center Joel Embiid said Tuesday he wasn't here to "babysit'' Simmons.

"At this point, I don't care about that man,'' Embiid said. "He does whatever he wants.''

Tuesday was the third straight day Simmons had practiced with the team after clearing the NBA's reentry health and safety protocols Friday. He returned to the team on Oct. 11 after missing the first two weeks of practice, as he held out in the hopes of getting his trade request from the offseason fulfilled.

"Every day, every single moment, I'm going to give Ben a chance to join the team and be part of the team,'' Rivers said Tuesday. "He's under contract to be part of the team and that's not going to change. Sometimes it happens quick and guys join back in. Sometimes it doesn't. I've been in both situations and I'm fine with that."

He worked with the second team in practice both Sunday and Monday, and immediately left the court the moment both practices ended.

Rivers had previously declined to say when Simmons would return to the court with the team for a game.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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