PHILADELPHIA — Ben Simmons knew what was coming in Friday’s return to Philadelphia — all sorts of bitterness, boos and bile. 

But Simmons insisted he wasn’t going to be afraid of it. He was going to feed off it. 

“Yeah, I also love that,” said Simmons, who led the Nets against his former team Friday at Wells Fargo Center. “I love being in arenas where it’s loud and people are booing and all that stuff. So, it comes with the game. It’s a part of it. And I love it.” 

Simmons played 275 games for the Sixers over six years, missing his rookie campaign to injury and 2021-22 to mental health issues and back woes.

His detachment, hesitancy to drive and eventual holdout made him persona non grata. 

They say hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. But clearly the poet who came up with the line had never heard 76ers fans booing Simmons. 

One fan famously paraded all around town with a sign saying “F–k Ben Simmons” — while he was still on the roster. His divorce from the Sixers was ugly, and he has been the subject of hatred from their fans ever since being dealt to the Nets for James Harden. 

“You can only boo so much,” Simmons said. 

Friday marked Simmons’ fourth time playing at Wells Fargo Center since being traded to the Nets.

He also missed one of their visits last season and their March 10 visit just weeks after his arrival.

But Wells Fargo Center had to beef up security in that first return — even though he was injured and not playing — and he was aware that Philadelphia fans have elevated booing to an art form. 

“Sure. That’s what Philly’s about, you know? Shoot, when I was in Philly we got booed at times when we weren’t playing well. So it goes both ways,” Simmons said before Friday’s game. “But they’re passionate fans. And that’s why Philly the city is so great, and the fans are so great.” 

Simmons clearly got fired up in the win over Charlotte by his clash with Hornets star Brandon Miller.

He expected to draw inspiration from the expected bile on Friday from the fans at Wells Fargo Center. 

“I really hope so, because it’s just cool,” Cam Johnson said. “You step back, take a look at it. And I think that’s the cool part of being an athlete, is that people really care. They might care for you, they might kind of hate on you, but the bottom line is they care. 

“They have somebody that they support, they have something that they cheer for, and that’s what makes our league and every other professional league and sport in general go around. So it’s just something that you’ve got to embrace. I hope he embraces it. Philly’s always kind of crazy, rowdy. They’ve got a lot to say. You know when Ben comes into town, they definitely have a lot to say. But I just hope it just gives our team energy and we’re able to feed off that.” 

There was sure to be tons of negative energy directed at Simmons, and Brooklyn planned to flip that around. 

“Yeah, you have to as a competitor,” Nic Claxton said. “If people are booing you, they don’t boo people that they don’t care about. So, you’re relevant. So, you’re in their mind. You can look at it as a good thing.” 

Simmons insisted he does. 

“I’m not in his mind and I cannot feel his feelings; I can only feel mine. As far as basketball, good crowds here, the fans are always great. They support their team and they don’t like the opponents, which is how it works,” coach Jordi Fernandez said. “When you play on the road, you get together as a team and you use that to your advantage. … As a professional player, you always have to deal with those things.”