76ers Fans Are Imagining A World Where Ben Simmons Is Traded To The Shanghai Sharks After His Dreadful Game 7 Performance

Much digital ink has been spilled about Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons after his shockingly bad performance in Game 7 of last night's Sixers-Hawks playoff series. The Sixers had the best record in the NBA's Eastern Conference heading into the playoffs, but choked in their second-round series against the Hawks, blowing multiple double-digit leads in the series and coming up disappointingly short in an ugly Game 7. The key moment burned into Philly fans' memory came in the fourth quarter: with the Sixers down two and 3:30 on the clock, Simmons had an opportunity for a wide-open dunk but passed the ball to a guarded teammate, who was fouled and hit 1-of-2 from the line.

The moment was exemplary of Simmons' dilemma: while Simmons is an all-star player, he is a liability when it comes to scoring, not because he misses often, but because he rarely shoots at all. In the series against the Hawks, Simmons took three shots total in seven fourth quarters. He is also dreadful at the free-throw line, hitting an atrocious 15-of-45 from the stripe in the series against the Hawks.

All of this has led to Philly fans clamoring for the team to get rid of him this upcoming offseason. However, some have wondered if any NBA team would want Simmons after his flaws were laid so strikingly bare in the playoffs. Some Philly fans have solved that dilemma by inventing a fantasy scenario that quickly became a meme in the NBA-focused circles of the internet: Ben Simmons getting traded to China's Shanghai Sharks.

The Simmons-to-Shanghai Sharks meme soon expanded to include other players, such as Kyle Kuzma, Kristaps Porzingis, Kemba Walker, Julius Randle, and others. All players included in the meme have one thing in common: they underperformed in the playoffs.

The joke stems from a familiar trope in the NBA in the past two decades: when talented but underperforming NBA players can't find a deal to their liking in the NBA, some will head to the Chinese Basketball Association. Notable players to make the trip overseas include Stephon Marbury, Steve Francis and Greg Oden. In NBA Twitter's mind, this year's crop of underperforming #2 guys seems ripe for the move.

While it seems more like a fantasy that Simmons or any of these players will bring their talents to China next season, fans (and haters) can dream. In the meantime, the remaining teams in the NBA playoffs are the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Clippers, Atlanta Hawks, and Milwaukee Bucks.