‘LONG WAY TO GO’

Australian Casino Denies Racially Profiling NBA Star Ben Simmons

Philadelphia 76ers player Ben Simmons said the casino demanded ID from the black members of his group but not his white friend.

An Australian casino says it “strenuously rejects” an accusation from NBA star Ben Simmons that he was denied entry because he’s black. The Philadelphia 76ers player posted a video of himself and friends at Melbourne’s Crown Casino and says he and his black friends were asked for ID, but his white friend wasn’t. Crown said the only reason it asked for the ID was to make sure the customers were above the age of 18. In the video, Simmons, who is 23, pointed to the only white member of his group and said: “I find it so crazy that the only guy who doesn’t get checked to go into the casino is this guy... They didn’t let me in, or him, or him, or this guy. Wow, we’ve got a long a way to go.” In a tweet Tuesday morning, Simmons wrote: “An incident happened last night at Crown and my friends and I felt personally singled out, no one likes to feel like this. I am very passionate about equality and I will always speak up even if it means having uncomfortable conversations.”