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Aug. 6 (UPI) -- Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons said he felt "singled out" after he and two black friends were asked for identification at an Australian casino. Simmons posted a video on Instagram asking why he and his friends were stopped to show their identification but another person in their group, who is white, was not. He deleted the video Tuesday morning.
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Simmons was allowed into the casino after providing his I.D.
Simmons, 23, posted a statement to Twitter addressing the situation:
As you know an incident happened last night at Crown and my friends and I felt personally singled out, no one likes to feel like this," Simmons wrote. "I am very passionate about equality and I will always speak up even if it means having uncomfortable conversations."
Simmons did not explain why he removed the Instagram video.
Simmons recently signed a five-year, $170 million contract with the Sixers to become the highest-paid Australian athlete.
Simmons averaged 16.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 7.7 assists in 79 games last season.
