Simmons says he felt ‘singled out’

Philadelphia 76ers AllStar guard Ben Simmons explained a social media post that seemed to imply he had been racially profiled by security staff at a Melbourne, Australia, casino by saying he and his friends felt “singled out.”

Simmons posted a video on Instagram in which he questioned why he and two black friends were asked for identification but another person in their group who is white was not. He deleted the post Tuesday morning, when it started making news and after the casino issued a statement saying its security staff routinely performs ID checks on anyone who appears younger than 25.

Simmons, 23, apparently wasn’t recognized by security at one of the casino’s entry points Monday night, but he was allowed in at a second entry point after providing identification.

Later Tuesday, Simmons posted on Twitter to explain his earlier video.

“Last night at Crown ... my friends and I felt personally singled out, no one likes to feel like this,” the Melbourne-born Simmons wrote. “I am very passionate about equality and I will always speak up.”

Simmons, whose father is African American, did not explain why he deleted the Instagram post.

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