He'd been selected No. 1 overall in the NBA draft, won Rookie of the Year honors, nearly averaged a triple-double in a playoff series.
Until Sunday afternoon, Ben Simmons had never attempted a legitimate, non-heave three-point shot in the NBA.
It's an occasion Sixers fans will surely never forget.
Early in third quarter of the Sixers' 143-120 win over the Lakers (see observations), Simmons pulled up and attempted a three-pointer from the top of the key. The shot rimmed out.
Simmons had taken 644 field goals this season heading into Sunday's game, just two of them from three-point range (both out of necessity, at the end of quarters). He was 13 for 63 from 10 feet and out.
If you'd been paying attention, you might have noticed this moment coming. Simmons had stepped into several jump shots recently, a deviation from his previous norm of only shooting jumpers fading away with the shot clock expiring, as a last resort.
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That doesn't make his accomplishment any less momentous. He won't get to make any speeches or accept any awards for this achievement, but it's a massive, paradigm-shifting milestone on par with his Rookie of the Year award, some would say.
Or it's just a missed field goal in a regular-season basketball game. Either way, you'll always remember where you were on Feb. 10, 2019.
The player who used to be defined in large part by his refusal to shoot has taken a three-point jumper.
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