Basketball superstar Ben Simmons has made global headlines after engaging in a little argy-bargy during an NBA match between his Philadelphia 76ers and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Simmons drew plaudits on social media for coming to his teammate Joel Embiid’s aid during an on-court altercation with opponent Karl-Anthony Towns, and was captured on multiple camera angles getting Towns into a headlock.

Sources close to Simmons have now claimed that the All-Star credits his showcase appearance at Monday night basketball at the Diamond Valley Stadium back in 2017 with knowing how to handle himself when on-court relations went south in Philadelphia. After the game, which the 76ers went on to win, a source close to Simmons credited the star’s brief midweek Aussie basketball stint for his team-first attitude.

The source said, “Post-game, Ben just kept going on about how the DV Stadium had prepared him for that kind of shenanigan. He said the main thing he learnt from playing that Monday night game was that you always come to the defence of your teammate, and if someone from the other team is getting out of line, don’t be afraid to put them in a headlock. He kept saying, ‘It’s the DV way, man. It’s the DV way.’ Nobody in the locker room knew what the hell he was talking about, but they sure were happy that Benny had big Joel’s back when that skirmish broke out.”

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