Stunning moment under-fire Aussie NBA star Ben Simmons’ teammates leap to his defence after a young fan hit him with a shocking two-word insult

Brooklyn Nets players have rushed to the defense of under-resourced Aussie Ben Simmons after a cheeky fan unleashed a savage two-word insult following the club’s loss to Orlando last weekend.

Simmons is making a comeback from a series of mental and physical injuries and is in the final year of his contract with the Nets, but could not help his side rise to victory against the Magic on Saturday AEST.

It was the Nets’ second straight loss to open the NBA season and a young fan let Simmons know all about it after the 116-101 loss, saying “you suck” to the Australian as he returned to the locker room .

Throughout his career, Simmons was a three-time NBA All-Star and was named NBA Rookie of the Year in 2018, but he has experienced a stunning fall from grace in recent years.

Drafted first overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2016, Simmons signed a rookie contract worth $26.6 million over four years and later signed a five-year, $177 million extension in 2019.

He has dealt with multiple injuries, including a foot injury in his rookie year, back and knee issues in subsequent seasons, and missed the entire 2021-2022 season due to a back injury.

Simmons was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in 2022 but continued to battle injuries and played just 15 games in the 2023-2024 season due to a recurring back problem.

Simmons has battled a series of mental and physical injuries in recent years and is making a comeback

That’s made him an online target for criticism and this one young fan took it to another level with his brutal assessment, even though he said it when Simmons had outpaced him.

“Why didn’t you say it when I was there, p****?” Simmons fired back.

His Nets teammates heard it, however, when Dennis Schroder came out of the locker room to confront the young fan.

“Who’s talking about Ben?” Schroeder asked.

Security quickly intervened when the young fan’s father became involved. The incident was filmed by onlookers, including one who repeatedly said, “This is going to ESPN.”

It comes as the Australian’s bid to return to his top form hit another major roadblock, despite his Nets claiming a big Eastern Conference win against Milwaukee.

The struggling Australian is in the final year of his massive contract with the Nets and is looking to impress for a future deal

While the Nets struggled in their first two games, they managed to beat heavyweights Milwaukee along the way

While Brooklyn recorded a memorable 115-102 win, including 61 points thanks to the combined efforts of Cam Thomas and Schroder, Simmons was once again let down due to his reluctance to shoot.

The under-fire Australian had registered just three shot attempts for the match and two of those were attempted tip-ins after a missed layup.

But it was a moment when Simmons inexplicably surrendered possession with a free path to the rack that stunned commentators and fans alike.

Simmons instead advanced to Johnson, who immediately handed the ball back to the Australian, who fumbled and turned the ball over.

“He has to go to the basket with that,” Sarah Kustok said in a comment.

“He’s playing with the idea of ​​staying healthy for his next contract this year. That’s what it looks like,” one viewer posted.

Simmons finished with two points, six assists, six rebounds and a steal.