The r/BillSimmons Podcast

Welcome — what a news drop! We examine why ESPN's looking to aggressively cut costs with these firings, what did Jalen in and what's next for him (including a potential Bill reunion), why JJ & RJ should replace Van Gundy and Jackson (a subpar duo), who else is at risk at ESPN, if this means NBC or Apple/Amazon win NBA rights, and predict the future NBA Countdown team, which may include Doc Rivers.

Welcome to Episode 23! We reached out on Twitter for an attendee of the Russillo Live Show to come on, and Twitter delivered! We have our guest take us through the show: The pre-show, the vibe of the attendees, the make-up of the crowd, Russillo's interaction with both the crowd and then CP3, and more. We also hear about Q&A that was cut from the Live Show Podcast audio. Russillo fans won't want to miss this.

Then we discuss Russillo and Bill, and our guest offers a more positive view on Russillo than some of our recent shows. We also get into a Pardon My Take vs. BS Pod debate, and discuss the best NBA pods out there. We also talk some Ringer, including how The Town is one of the best pod additions in recent memory.

Hope you enjoy the show! Follow us on Spotify and find us on Twitter @rBillSimmonsPod.

Welcome to Episode 22! We bring on Michael from Twitter for a wide ranging conversation that (we hope) channels the vibe from our favorite Bill & Chuck pods.

We start on Bill Simmons current events, and give our takes on Bill having a worldwide moment with his Prince Harry & Meghan comments. We also examine how Simmons timed his Spotify sale perfectly, and wonder what he actually does there as an executive (if anything at all).

We then dive into Michael’s background with Bill, and examine two Grantland articles (Bill on T-Mac and Chuck Klosterman on Breaking Bad) that were formative in him becoming a fan. We discuss how this was a very interesting phase of Bill’s life, in 2013, moving from fan to NBA insider (in the T-Mac articles he references texting Kobe). Regarding Chuck and his Breaking Bad piece, we take on some revisionist history about the show. 

Next, we discuss why it seems like the NBA’s popularity online only increases, yet many people, including Michael, watch much less NBA now. Why is that, and did it have to do with covid? On covid, we debate what the best and worst relative age range in someone’s life was to go through the pandemic; and, do we think our time missed (late-20s) was one of the worst because it indeed was, or only because we lived through it? 

We talk some Chris Ryan before having a broader discussion on media consumption in 2023 - for instance, where did Ted talks go? Are our attention spans even big enough to sit through a Ted talk these days, let alone a movie? Also, are we having the right conversations about the role of technology in society? 

If you like deep, stimulating intellectual conversations, this episode is for you. Follow us on Spotify and find us on Twitter @rBillSimmonsPod!

Welcome to Episode 21! Bill Simmons has taken the internet by storm today with his comments about Prince Harry.

We introduce who Bill Simmons is and how he came to fame, go through his career and legacy, discuss how he ended up at Spotify, provide context for his Zoom call to help Prince Harry, and theorize why he probably strongly dislikes him.

For anyone who loves Bill's comments but doesn't know who Bill is, this is for you! And for Bill Simmons fans, you'll have fun looking back at Bill's career and trajectory to top Spotify executive.

Thanks for listening! Follow the podcast on Spotify and find us @rBillSimmonsPod on Twitter.

Welcome to Episode 20! We bring on Dylan from Twitter (@WhiskeyCokeNoice). He reached out to us wanting to give his take on Russillo, being a fellow University of Vermont grad. We explore a bit of Russillo’s origins and wonder why he chose UVM given his interests.

Next we continue this pod’s coverage of The Ringer vs. Grantland. Is Bill really a good judge of talent? Perhaps not - his “coaching tree” looks a little bare. We also hit on how Grantland’s pop culture coverage felt more meaningful yet also broad, whereas The Ringer seems to have a narrow focus on “Prestige TV” that often falls flat.

Next we talk Simmons over the years, including his trajectory into LA Pop Culture Guy, and compare him to another famous Boston sports guy, Dave Portnoy. We discuss which man is more successful, and the differences in how their careers have gone.

Hope you enjoy the show! Follow us on Spotify and find us on Twitter @rBillSimmonsPod

Welcome to Episode 19! It's a glorious time for Bill Simmons listeners worldwide after the Celtics Game 7 loss, and we had to celebrate with a new show.

In the first part of the episode, we bring on returning guest RockNRoll (Celtics fan) and new guest Tom (Lakers fan) to talk Game 7, Bill's reaction, the reaction to Bill's reaction including how he's an infamous meme now, and how much we enjoyed the Bill-Bill's dad pod. We also discuss whether it's a re-apex of sorts for Simmons becoming the face of Celtics fanhood. (0:00-1:02:15)

In the second part of the show, Jokers comes on to help figure out where this game ranks in Bill's famous Page 2-era Levels of Losing rankings (starts at 1:23:15). We go through the Top 10 levels, which include some absolutely hilarious personal anecdotes from Bill, and figure out where this one lands.

Support the show by following us on Spotify, and find us on Twitter @rBillSimmonsPod.

Welcome to Episode 18! We bring on Richard (@richard_normal) from Twitter, often seen tweeting the most absurd and hilarious soundbites from Bill's latest podcasts.

We start the show talking Derek Thompson's most recent appearance on the BS Pod. After hyping up crypto, NFTs and the Metaverse in 2021, Derek has now shifted to AI, which probably marks peak AI hype cycle. We discuss how Derek is the perfect guest for Bill and his never-ending interest in "where things are going."

Though, we question how Derek became the evolutionary/millennial Gladwell who essentially market corrected Malcolm as Bill's ideas guy - why isn't Gladwell appearing more frequently on the show, and why has he lost so much cultural cache? It's been a steep drop from his Outliers Apex Mountain days.

Next we hit on Klosterman and Bill - why do those pods work so well, and are they actually friends in real life? We also give our favorite Bill-Chuck moments.

Then we discuss the humbling of the r/BillSimmons lurker and occasional contributor Haralabob, and Richard reveals he's an Hbob gambling truther, in that he doesn't believe Hbob's claim to fame. We then end with an always fun Grantland vs. Ringer discussion.

Support the show by following us on Spotify, and find us on Twitter @rBillSimmonsPod.

Welcome to Episode 16! We bring on RockNRolla to the show. He's a long-time Simmons fan from the early 2000s. We come out hot discussing Russillo - what's wrong with his vibe? The man is taking the NBA way too seriously. In fact, Russillo to NBA Tape Study is akin to Simmons to Million Dollar Picks. We then discuss Simmons through the years, the evolution of his Guess the Lines podcast, and question his content choices around the NBA. You don't want to miss this one!

Welcome to Episode 15! We are back with another banger show. We bring on one of the co-hosts of "THE BUM ANKLES: Minnesota Sports/Culture Podcast" who happens to be a long-time Simmons fan. We discuss the Grantland days, Bill's legacy on sports media - including gambling, why he's Patient Zero for hot take culture, how he changed documentaries for good with 30 for 30, why The Ringer has been such a disappointment vs. Grantland, and a lot more. This is must-listen for long-time Simmons fans. Enjoy!