Ben Simmons was signing 76ers jerseys and eating cheesesteaks before he was even drafted.
He’ll wear a team uniform for real soon enough.
With the great hope he can lift one of the worst franchises in professional sports, the Philadelphia 76ers took Simmons with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft on Thursday night.
Simmons, the 6-foot-10, 242-pound forward out of LSU, was the top choice all along for Philly.
But who will join him from this draft?
The Sixers also have the 24th and 26th picks of the first round. Team president Bryan Colangelo had been open about his desire to nab another top-10 pick, and rumors swirled all day that the Sixers were willing to deal big men Nerlens Noel or Jahlil Okafor to make it happen.
The Sixers also have roughly $60 million in salary cap space as they and build toward respectability following a 10-72 season.
The 76ers had the top pick for the first time since they drafted Allen Iverson in 1996. He led the Sixers to their last NBA finals appearance in 2001.
“Congratulations (at)BenSimmons25. I know you’ll make all of us Philly fans proud!!” Iverson tweeted.
The Sixers haven’t won an NBA title since 1983.
Maybe Simmons can make the difference.
The 19-year-old Simmons averaged 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists, the only SEC player ever to finish in the top five in all three categories. But the Tigers were only 19-14, failing to make the NCAA Tournament.
“I’m happy that the Sixers chose me,” he said at Barclays Center in New York. “It’s a great city and I’m looking forward to getting to Philly.”
Simmons, who grew up in Australia before moving to Florida for three years of high school at Montverde Academy, has already signed a $20 million sneaker deal with Nike and will be the feature of a Showtime documentary film called “ONE & DONE” that will debut in October, just before he debuts in the NBA.
He never demonstrated he could make jump shots consistently, rarely shooting from outside and going only 1 of 3 from 3-point range all season. He also exhibited an inclination to pass, rather than create his own shot, in the late stages of close games.
Simmons also had academic issues that made him ineligible for the Wooden Award, which is presented to the nation’s top college player.
Simmons didn’t work out for Philadelphia until Tuesday but there was familiarity with him long ago, as 76ers coach Brett Brown coached Simmons’ father in Australia. Simmons said Brown told him that someday he might play in the NBA.
He’ll get that chance in Philadelphia.
He could be one of at least three first-round picks to debut for Philly in 2016 – with two coming from the 2014 draft. The Sixers might finally have overseas prospect Dario Saric should he break free from the final year of his European deal. Joel Embiid, the No. 3 overall pick of the `14 draft, is inching closer to returning to the court and make his NBA debut after missing the last two seasons with foot injuries.
Under a plan hatched by former general manager Sam Hinkie, the Sixers sacrificed talent and wins for three seasons to stockpile lottery picks they believed would become the building blocks for a contender.
