The Bill Simmons Podcast

By The Ringer & Bill Simmons

Society & Culture TV & Film

What's The Bill Simmons Podcast about?

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons hosts the most downloaded sports podcast of all time, with a rotating crew of celebrities, athletes, and media staples, as well as mainstays like Cousin Sal, Joe House, and a slew of other friends and family members who always happen to be suspiciously available.

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Luka vs Larry, No CFB, Anot...

08.10.2020

The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by Ryen Russillo to discuss the increasingly grim outlook for college football in 2020 (2:20) and Collin Morikawa winning the PGA championship (18:10). They also discuss the excellent play of Luka Doncic, the red-hot ...

The Bill Simmons Podcast episodes:

08.10.2020 Luka vs Larry, No CFB, Another "Next Tiger," and Dame vs. PG With Ryen Russillo The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by Ryen Russillo to discuss the increasingly grim outlook for college football in 2020 (2:20) and Collin Morikawa winning the PGA championship (18:10). They also discuss the excellent play of Luka Doncic, the red-hot ...
08.07.2020 Blazermania, the Snakebit Sixers, PGA Championship Notes With Joe House, Plus: Hannibal Buress The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by Joe House to discuss the surging Trail Blazers, who beat the Nuggets and Rockets in their last two games. They also discuss “wild-card guys,” including Michael Porter Jr., Fred VanVleet, Zach Collins, and ...
08.05.2020 Steve Kerr on Bubble Ball, Golden State’s Gap Year, and ‘The Last Dance.’ Plus: Nathan Hubbard on Golf and Taylor Swift. The Ringer’s Bill Simmons talks with Warriors head coach Steve Kerr about the NBA restart, the evolution of basketball, the Warriors' (much needed) break from the NBA playoffs, scouting for the NBA draft during the pandemic, the NBA’s focus on ...
08.03.2020 Bubble Basketball Revelations, Houston and OKC As Sleepers, and Philly Frustrations With Ryen Russillo The Ringer's Bill Simmons reunites with Ryen Russillo to talk NBA bubble basketball! They share some of the notable differences between traditional NBA games and bubble games; discuss Rockets-Bucks, Celtics–Trail Blazers, Pacers-76ers, and Lakers-Raptors; and answer the question "Who is ...
07.31.2020 A Memorable NBA Reopening, Plus: Talking NFL With Kyle Brandt The Ringer's Bill Simmons shares his thoughts on the NBA restart, including Lakers-Clippers, Pelicans-Jazz, the NBA broadcast, NBA awards, and more (4:40). Next he talks with NFL Network's Kyle Brandt about his new Ringer podcast '10 Questions With Kyle Brandt,' ...
07.29.2020 MLB’s Struggles, NBA Asterisks With CC Sabathia and Ryan Ruocco, and Jason Gay on Pandemic Parenting and Regis Philbin The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by CC Sabathia and Ryan Ruocco of the ‘R2C2’ podcast to discuss MLB's shaky start to the season with multiple Miami Marlins players testing positive for COVID-19, how some of the concerns surrounding baseball ...
07.24.2020 The Sleeper Blazers, Best NBA Futures, and LeBron’s Goofy MVP Bandwagon With Cousin Sal and Joe House The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by Cousin Sal and Joe House to preview the upcoming NBA season including NBA MVP, playoff seeding odds, underdogs to win the title, pandemic-specific prop bets, and championship favorites. Later, they get into the ...
07.22.2020 ‘Palm Springs,’ ‘SNL,’ and "I’m on a Boat" With Andy Samberg, Plus ‘Almost Famous’ With Jim Miller The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by actor, comedian, and writer Andy Samberg to talk about his new movie ‘Palm Springs’ on Hulu, his time on ‘SNL,’ and the role YouTube played in The Lonely Island’s success. Later they talk ...
07.17.2020 Enes Kanter and Johnny Bananas The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter to talk about the upcoming 2020 Celtics postseason, the Westbrook-Durant era in Oklahoma City, and his time on the Knicks and Trail Blazers (3:10) Later, Kanter opens up ...
07.14.2020 Inside the NBA Bubble, KD & LeBron, ‘Showbiz Kids’ and River Phoenix With Chris Haynes and Alex Winter The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by Yahoo senior NBA reporter Chris Haynes from inside the NBA bubble in Orlando to give us the scoop on how things are going. They discuss how the league has been administering the quarantine ...
07.10.2020 A Patriots Makeover, 'Unsolved Mysteries,' MLB Foibles and 'The OC' With Mina Kimes, JackO, and Peter Gallagher The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by ESPN’s Mina Kimes to discuss a new look for the Patriots with Cam Newton at the helm, some teams that probably should have tried to sign Newton, great NFL head coaches, uncertainty surrounding ...
07.08.2020 The NBA’s Risky Restart and Quibi’s Struggles, With Shams Charania and Matthew Belloni The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by NBA insider Shams Charania to discuss the NBA restart, its implications for the 2021 salary cap, journalism in the Orlando bubble, and more (4:17). Then Bill talks with former editor in chief of ...
07.01.2020 Kenny Smith and Will Ferrell The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by two-time NBA champion and sports commentator Kenny "The Jet" Smith to discuss what makes 'Inside the NBA' so authentic, stories from the 1994 and 1995 Finals runs, Hakeem Olajuwon, ESPN's 'The Last Dance,' ...
06.29.2020 Cam to the Pats, 'The Decision,' and the 2010 Redraftables With Ryen Russillo The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by Ryen Russillo to discuss the Patriots signing QB Cam Newton to a one-year deal (2:09) before revisiting a defining moment in 2010: LeBron James and ‘The Decision’ (50:56). Finally they look at the ...
06.26.2020 Talking Movies With Don Cheadle and Rob Lowe The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by actor Don Cheadle to discuss some of his iconic films, including 'Boogie Nights,' 'Out of Sight,' 'Crash,' and 'Hotel Rwanda,' playing Sammy Davis Jr. in HBO's 'The Rat Pack,' Black actors and storytellers ...
06.22.2020 A Genius Westbrook Pick, Rose vs. Love, and the 2008 Redraftables With Ryen Russillo The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Ryen Russillo to talk about their early years in podcasts and radio, respectively (3:10). Then they revisit the 2008 NBA draft and discuss some of its subplots, draft comedy, and NBA legends before ...
06.19.2020 NBA in Quarantine With JJ Redick, Plus Cord Jefferson on the Impact of ‘Watchmen’ The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by NBA veteran and New Orleans Pelican JJ Redick to discuss some of the challenges of staying NBA-ready during the pandemic, the benefits of regimented training and recovery, thoughts on the “Orlando bubble,” LeBron’s ...
06.17.2020 An MLB Funeral With JackO, Plus LL Cool J on Kobe vs. Magic, Rap History, and Creating the GOAT The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by his old friend JackO to discuss the grim outlook for the 2020 MLB season and the ESPN 30-for-30 'Long Gone Summer' (2:45). Then Bill is joined by Grammy-winning rapper, actor, and entrepreneur LL ...
06.15.2020 The NBA Takes a Beat, Plus the 2007 ReDraftables and Oden-Durant With Ryen Russillo The Ringer's Bill Simmons talks about the concerns some players are having about the return of the NBA, and some of the parallels to 1968 (1:55). Then Bill and Ryen Russillo revisit the 2007 NBA draft and discuss some of ...
06.12.2020 Jalen Rose, Judd Apatow, and the 2006 NBA Redraftables The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by sports analyst and former NBA player Jalen Rose to discuss More Than a Vote, a nonprofit organization championing voting rights created by LeBron James, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Jalen, and other current and former pro ...
06.09.2020 Goodell’s 180, Biden’s VP, Old-School Football, and the Hockey "Code" With Bakari Sellers and Bill Burr The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by attorney, author, and political commentator Bakari Sellers to discuss the "perfect storm" that mobilized the current Black Lives Matter movement; people and organizations making statements, including Roger Goodell, LeBron James, and Patrick Mahomes; ...
06.05.2020 CC Sabathia on Protesting, Drew Brees, Baseball’s Return, LeBron, Rivera, and the National Moment The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by World Series champion CC Sabathia to discuss his experience at the protests in Brooklyn, the moment he realized the nation was ignited by the killing of George Floyd, and the platforms today's athletes ...
06.03.2020 DeRay Mckesson on Ending Police Brutality, Plus 'Flying Coach' With Steve Kerr, Pete Carroll, and Gregg Popovich The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by civil rights activist and podcaster DeRay Mckesson to discuss a plan he and his team at Campaign Zero have been working on to systematically reform police departments to combat police brutality. They discuss ...
06.01.2020 A Truly Sad Week in America, Plus the 2005 NBA Redraftables With Ryen Russillo The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by Ryen Russillo to discuss the recent protests, both nationwide and in L.A., after the death of George Floyd while in police custody (1:45). They then speculate on salvaging the 2019-20 NBA season (41:45) ...
05.29.2020 A Quarantine Mailbag, Plus Michael Lewis and Jason Bateman The Ringer's Bill Simmons answers a bunch of listener-submitted mailbag questions (2:10), before he is joined by author Michael Lewis to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic, the effects of youth sports being cancelled, what a return to sports arenas may look ...
05.27.2020 The NBA’s World Cup Fix, Plus the 2004 NBA Redraftables With Kevin O'Connor and Joe House The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Kevin O'Connor to discuss the proposed World Cup–like group stage format for the NBA playoffs, potentially eliminating conferences, how to maintain the integrity of the NBA regular season, exciting matchups, and more (2:15). ...
05.25.2020 Brady’s Fun Golf Match, the NBA’s Big Return, Pierce vs. LeBron, and the Unforgivable Lance Armstrong With Ryen Russillo The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by Ryen Russillo to discuss The Match 2; encouraging rumors about the return of the NBA and possible playoff scenarios; ex-athlete commentator bias; Horace Grant's comments following ‘The Last Dance’; the spectrum of “forgivable ...
05.22.2020 Kobe vs. Duncan, Lob City vs. Sterling, and the "We Believe" Warriors With Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes. Plus: Best ‘Last Dance’ Lies! The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Joe House and Jason Concepcion to run though Jason's list of the biggest lies told in the ESPN documentary series 'The Last Dance' (2:20). Then, Bill talks with NBA champions Stephen Jackson and ...
05.20.2020 The Undertaker on the Montreal Screwjob, Vince McMahon’s Genius, the Attitude Era, Vegas, Concussions, and 30 Years at WWE The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by the Deadman himself, the Undertaker (a.k.a. Mark Calaway), to discuss the WWE’s documentary series ‘Undertaker: The Last Ride,’ as well as stories from more than 30 years of professional wrestling, his favorite 'WrestleMania,' ...
05.18.2020 The Last 'Last Dance,' MJ the Almost-Knick, NBA Bubble Courtsides, MLB Strife and the Final 'RewatchaBulls' With Ryen Russillo The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Ryen Russillo to discuss the final two episodes in the ESPN documentary series 'The Last Dance' (2:25) before Ryen and "Optimistic Bill" talk about the NBA potentially inching toward a return, as well ...
05.15.2020 MJ, the GOAT. Plus, Survivor Greatness, 'Big Mouth' Season 4, MJ vs. Kobe, and Quarantine Life with J.A. Adande, Nick Kroll, and Jason Concepcion \| The Bill Simmons Podcast The Ringer’s Bill Simmons reads an excerpt from 'The Book of Basketball' on what makes Michael Jordan the GOAT (3:00), before he is joined by Northwestern University's director of sports journalism, J.A. Adande, to discuss covering the Jordan-era Bulls, thoughts ...
05.13.2020 NBA Optimism Alert!!! Plus: MJ vs. Tyson, Quarantine 'PTI,' 'The Wire,' and Post-Virus Social Un-Distancing With Tony Kornheiser and Van Lathan \| The Bill Simmons Podcast The Ringer’s Bill Simmons shares his thoughts about Adam Silver’s meeting with the board of governors which seems to garnered "positive feelings" (2:28), before he's joined by ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser to discuss Tony’s mortal enemy, modern technology, continuing 'Pardon the ...
05.11.2020 Crying MJ, UFC 249, Ominous NBA News, and 1997 NBA Finals RewatchaBulls With Ryen Russillo \| The Bill Simmons Podcast The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Ryen Russillo to talk about Episodes 7 and 8 of the ESPN documentary series 'The Last Dance' (2:30) before discussing UFC 249 (41:40) and Adam Silver's call with NBA players regarding the possible ...
05.08.2020 MJ’s Second Retirement, Explained. Plus: Chuck Klosterman on 'Survivor,' Defining Greatness, and Two Months of Quarantine Life \| The Bill Simmons Podcast The Ringer’s Bill Simmons shares an essay he wrote about Michael Jordan’s retirement (4:25) before he is joined by author Chuck Klosterman to discuss the 40th season of ‘Survivor,’ generational gaps between athletes, nostalgic basketball behavior, and the 1992 dream ...
05.06.2020 How Great Were the ’96 Bulls? Plus: 1996 ECF Game 2 RewatchaBulls With Joe House \| The Bill Simmons Podcast The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Joe House to compare the different Chicago Bulls rosters of the 1990s, as well as some of the other all-time NBA teams (2:55), before revisiting Game 2 of the 1996 Eastern Conference finals, ...
05.04.2020 MJ vs. the World, Quarantine Month Three, the 2017 Warriors, and 1995 Magic-Bulls Myths With Ryen Russillo \| The Bill Simmons Podcast The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Ryen Russillo to discuss episodes 5 and 6 of ESPN's docuseries 'The Last Dance' (2:40), getting restless in quarantine, all-time NBA teams, the "time-traveling athletes" argument, and more (40:55). Finally they revisit Game ...
05.01.2020 When Will the NFL Come Back? Plus: ’86 Celts vs. ‘96 Bulls, Jarett Stidham’s Big Chance, and True Crime Docs With Peter Schrager, Kevin O’Connor, Joe House, and JackO \| The Bill Simmons Podcast The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Peter Schrager of NFL Network and Fox Sports to discuss the uncertainty around the start of the 2020 NFL season, the Patriots' QB situation, NFL draft highlights, and more (5:07), before talking with ...
04.27.2020 Bad Boy Pistons, NFL Draft Lessons, NBA Summer News, and Suns-Bulls 1993 With Ryen Russillo \| The Bill Simmons Podcast The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by Ryen Russillo to discuss Episodes 3 and 4 of ESPN’s documentary series ‘The Last Dance’ (2:53) before talking about the NFL draft (32:00), the logistics behind bringing back the NBA (1:03:25), and Game ...
04.24.2020 NFL Draft Reactions, Angry Rodgers, Emcee Goodell, and Overcompetitive MJ With Cousin Sal and Chuck Klosterman \| The Bill Simmons Podcast The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Cousin Sal to recap the first round of the NFL draft, including Tua Tagovailoa sliding to the fifth, the Packers drafting QB Jordan Love, the Cowboys adding another WR in CeeDee Lamb, Goodell ...
04.20.2020 MJ’s Doc, Tua’s Draft Stock, L.T. vs. Rice, and the ’93 Knicks-Bulls Battle with Ryen Russillo \| The Bill Simmons Podcast The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Ryen Russillo to discuss the first two episodes of the ESPN documentary 'The Last Dance' (2:50) before getting into the upcoming NFL draft, top QB draft prospects, Bill's and Ryen’s all-time top-five NFL ...
04.17.2020 The NBA’s Summer Return, The Quarantine 'Bachelor,' and the MJ Doc With Casey Wasserman, Chris Harrison, and Mike Tollin \| The Bill Simmons Podcast The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Casey Wasserman to discuss safe and effective ways to bring back pro sports including golf, baseball, and basketball, and the Olympics (2:50). Then Bill talks with the host of 'The Bachelor' universe, Chris ...
04.13.2020 Worst NBA GM Jobs, MJ's RewatchaBulls Vol. 1, and NBA Playoff Saves With Ryen Russillo \| The Bill Simmons Podcast The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Ryen Russillo to discuss bringing back sports and strategies for navigating the workplace. Then they sift through the worst NBA GM jobs. Finally, they revisit Game 3 of the 1991 Finals, Bulls vs. ...
04.10.2020 NFL Draft Nuggets, Horror Movie Tricks, the ’86 Masters, and Crisis President Trump With Peter Schrager, Jason Blum, Joe House, and JackO \| The Bill Simmons Podcast The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by Peter Schrager of NFL Network and Fox Sports to discuss Brady on the Bucs, the Patriots without Brady, 2020 draft predictions, and more (3:20). Next he talks to film producer Jason Blum about ...
04.06.2020 Saving 2020 Sports, Bored Quarantine Tales and the 2000 Redraftables (The NBA Draft W.O.A.T.) With Ryen Russillo \| The Bill Simmons Podcast HBO and The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by Ryen Russillo to discuss when each sport could return and confront the possibility of no sports for the rest of the year (3:00). Then they list off the most bored things ...
04.02.2020 Sports TV Secrets, MLB’s Murky Future, Hollywood’s Next Phase, And Bong Joon-ho's Championship Belt with Joe Buck and Alan Yang \| The Bill Simmons Podcast The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by sportscaster Joe Buck to discuss breaking into sportscasting, covering his first World Series at 27 years old, the differences between local and national broadcasting, the obstacles of a three-person booth, the search for ...
03.30.2020 The 1996 Re-Draftapalooza, Ray Allen vs. Allen Iverson, and Week 3 Quarantine Recs With Ryen Russillo \| The Bill Simmons Podcast The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by Ryen Russillo to revisit the 1996 NBA draft, discuss the mid-'90s NBA subplots and some of the legends of the '96 draft class (4:00) before redrafting the top-14 lottery picks (44:30). Finally, Bill ...
03.27.2020 Eddie Vedder and Jeff Ament on Pearl Jam’s Meteoric Rise, the Future of Rock Bands, Their Nirvana “Rivalry,” GP & Kemp, Dennis Rodman and Their New Album ('Gigaton') \| The Bill Simmons Podcast The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder and Jeff Ament to discuss a wide variety of topics, including Pearl Jam’s first concert, the Seattle SuperSonics, hanging with Dennis Rodman, the best music venues, tour stories, their ...
03.25.2020 Jimmy Kimmel on Quarantine Nation, Shaq and Kobe and the Future Of TV. Plus: J.B. Smoove on a Long and Crazy Career \| The Bill Simmons Podcast The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by his pal Jimmy Kimmel to catch up and discuss self-quarantine life, the return of ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire,’ Jimmy hosting the Kobe Bryant memorial, Kobe memories, restaurants being affected by the ...
03.23.2020 NBA What-Ifs, Brady vs. Belichick, Vintage Barkley, and Sports Nostalgia by Necessity with Ryen Russillo \| The Bill Simmons Podcast The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by Ryen Russillo to ask a series of “what-if” questions given the uncertainty surrounding the 2019-20 season. They discuss old games being aired on TV, Tom Brady leaving the Patriots, book, TV, and movie ...
03.18.2020 So Long, Tom Brady, With Cousin Sal \| The Bill Simmons Podcast HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Cousin Sal to discuss an end of an era: Tom Brady confirmed he is leaving the New England Patriots. They also discuss a few NFL trades including Stefon Diggs to the ...

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