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Report: 76ers resume fining Simmons amid lack of cooperation

Noah Graham / National Basketball Association / Getty

The Philadelphia 76ers plan to continue fining Ben Simmons until he cooperates with the organization regarding his mental health assistance, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Friday.

The 76ers will reportedly fine Simmons his entire $360,000 game salary for every missed contest until the team is satisfied with his communication about his plan for mental health meetings, evaluation, or treatments or accepts help with specialists arranged by the team.

Philadelphia started fining the three-time All-Star on Thursday, according to Wojnarowski.

The club initially fined Simmons during the preseason for failing to report before he joined the 76ers ahead of their regular-season opener.

After being kicked out of practice and subsequently suspended by coach Doc Rivers, Simmons reportedly told the team two weeks ago that he wasn't mentally ready to play to his expectations.

Since then, he's reportedly grown uncommunicative with Philadelphia's staff on his progress toward returning, which has frustrated members of the organization.

Simmons has restricted himself to individual workouts in the meantime, and the 76ers will also start fining him if he continues to not participate in other activities like strength training and film study, per Wojnarowski.

Despite not having Simmons on the court, Philadelphia has jumped out to a hot start and sits first in the Eastern Conference with a 7-2 record.

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