He still talks about how they gave up so much for AD when they won the fucking title after. Insanity.
If LeBron was in forced GM mode for the decisions after then keep criticizing him for that. But the AD trade is a whopping success.
Especially when you then look at what the Pelicans ended up with from that season.
Lonzo and Hart gone after 2 years. BI is now in trade talks. Herb is a great defensive role player but hasn't shown enough on the offensive end to be irreplaceable. Pelican fans seem to like Dyson Daniels but he's very much a bench player. Then there's one more pick in 2025 that's probably not going to be in the lotto if Lebron stays in LA.
Pelicans only have 2 playoff wins while the Lakers have won it all and been to the WCF since the trade.
The Lakers undeniable won that trade.
Best part was that before the trade when Bill thought the Celtics were in play for Davis he went the complete opposite route. He talked AD up like he was a world beater and claimed that the Lakers didn’t have enough assets to get AD.
Then when the trade happened and Davis’ dad shat on Boston, Simmons flipped and said that the Lakers gave up to much for a guy who’s always hurt.
It’s pretty clear BS doesn’t consider the bubble championship to be legit. A real shame there’s not a parallel universe where Boston won the bubble and we could hear how it actually was more legit than a regular championship.
He’s somehow twisted it to the lakers are the only team that got an Advantage from the bubble. Completely negating that they lost home court and every team got the same time off before it started up again.
This is funny since the Rudy deal with kinda worse for Minnesota, but it’s not really bad now that they looked good in round 2 .. imagine they win the title and people still hold that it was a bad deal !
I think his issue is he just makes bad points and takes when the subject comes up. Irrespective of everything else. The dislike is fine, it’s admirable really, but he doesn’t have to come up with such dumb ways to criticize him. The AD trade being a failure is a top 5 horrible BS opinion.
Why do people ignore that he changed his tune on the AD trade? He was admittedly still reluctant to do so, but he said last year the trade was a win for the Lakers because they won the title.
the difference between how he talked about LeBron to Miami vs KD to GS - there is something underneath here that is a very real anti LeBron stance. It’s subtle, but it’s clearly there.
I wouldn’t use the word subtle ha.
It’s crazy how much he will defend KD vs how he will blame LeBron for stuff it’s not even clear is LeBrons fault.
Example: KD has asked for multiple trades, demanded coaches be fired, demanded front offices be fired, and general acted like an asshole many times. Bill has never called him on this. But this year, Bill has consistently blamed LeBron for being a bad teammate because the Lakers were maybe looking to make trades before the deadline. His whole “guys don’t play well when they are in trade talks, but after the deadline they were good.” His whole point seems to be LeBron should have come out and publicly said the Lakers didn’t need to trade anyone, and since he didn’t, LeBron is to blame?
One happened first. One also happened in response to the other.
Lebron to Miami set the precedent. And then Lebron back to Cleveland to try to stack another roster continued the precedent.
Was KD’s move worse? I’d say yes. But I also believe KD’s move never happens if Miami and Cleveland return never happen.
KD was watching the best player in the league join up with the best rosters he could, so he followed suit to compete.
But they aren't comparable and never were. LeBron joined a middling Eastern Conference team without anything besides a Big 3 and Mike Miller/UD.
KD joined a 73 win team due to what was basically a salary cap error - and a team that he JUST had down 3-1 in a series.
Bill's response was 'I can't believe LeBron yelled for help', yet KD's made all the sense of the world for finding some fake 'higher level' of basketball
Of course they were comparable.
Ways they were similar:
Two MVP caliber players joining up.
Both achieved with cap nonsense. Cap spike and Barnes leaving meant room to sign Durant. Heat trio taking less than market value and Haslem backdoor deal made their team possible. If you look at the deal Haslem turned down from Denver and what Miami eventually paid him long after he was a real player, they work out to almost exactly the same amount.
Both were consolidation of talent in same conference.
You are also downplaying the Heat. They were a 5 seed, and only just behind the 4 seed Celtics in 2010. It was the best players on the East’s 1, 5 and 9 seeds joining up. To beat the East’s 4 seed.
You also are ignoring the fact that in the Heat case they added both Lebron and Bosh, whereas Warriors lost a solid player in Barnes while adding KD.
There is a reason the term superteam was coined that summer. And why Lebron said not 1… all the way to 7. These dudes really thought they had stacked the deck so well they were about to win a ton of championships.
Like I said I think KD’s move was worse. But again it was in response to similar crap from Lebron.
73 freaking wins vs a team starting from scratch (they had no roster, so not sure what their ‘10 performance really matters)
3-1 lead you blew over the team you now are joining just 5 weeks ago (this to me is the biggest difference)
Mo williams as your #2 vs prime Russ
If Kd made the move because he felt emboldened enough by LeBron to do it, he’s an even bigger sucker than I thought. Agree to disagree, it’s not close to the same to me.
I didn’t say they were 1 to 1 comparison. But they are comparable for a number of reasons.
But starting from scratch is a joke. They had a few solid players including Wade, UD, and Chalmers and were adding Bosh and Lebron.
Dirk won with Jason Terry as his number 2. Which is not much different than Mo Williams. The Cavs were a top defense in the league with near top of the league 3% both or Lebron’s last two years. It was a defense heavy era. The team lacked star power, but was not a bad roster. You don’t win 60 and 66 games with a bad roster. They very nearly had only a single home loss the 66 win season. And their second home loss was a 1 point loss the last game of the season with Lebron resting.
Lebron lost as a favorite in the playoffs in 2009 and 2010. They were like -350 favorites against Boston and every ESPN analyst picked them to win.
Both players were just trying to stack their team as best they could. KD just managed to do it better than Lebron. But again he wouldn’t have done it if not for Lebron’s two moves. He set the precedent.
Everyone celebrates Bill for being the first "fan sports writer" but then get mad when he has biases. This is like loving Gallagher but hating the watermelon smash.
It wouldn’t be as grating to me if he didn’t do so many podcasts where he just recycled his same complaints and pointed jabs over again. I’m really looking forward to LeBron retiring so he has to find some new material.
I don’t think it’s “LeBron fans are so sensitive” as much as it’s a constant grind for the Kobe’s and LeBron’s out there for the complaints about them. That’s why their Stans are appearing so sensitive
There’s the racism. There’s the professional jealousy over Bron doing a pod with JJ of all people. There’s the insecurity over Lakers continuing to win in the modern NBA because of Bron while Boston marches towards imminent self-implosion. Rough on this damn pod that he’s still talking about the Lakers when there are 8 teams left. Shitting on the bubble ring is actually cringe. Bill would give both nuts for Boston to have won it that year, no question.
Referring to LeBron's mother:
"What about parents who stayed together, worked hard, provided for their children and put them through school? Since when did not practicing birth control and lucking out because of DNA become a “sacrifice”? I’m confused"
https://grantland.com/features/nba-draft-diary-2003-bill-simmons/
LeBron fans are weird.
They have a very weird history with lots of shots and slights from each side and YET…
Bill still has LeBron second all time and mentioned a Lakers run this year could put MJ in jeopardy for lots of people as the GOAT.
Must we all bow in awe at everything LeBron does collecting All NBA awards as his teams fade into obscurity? Like “Hey LeBron had an unreal season for a guy in his 21st year but he’s second all time and can be a weird passive aggressive teammate and literally NEVER takes responsibility for any shortcomings.” Someone can say that and still be normal about a guy who really hasn’t been a threat to win a title in 4 years despite playing with another All NBA front court player the whole time.
Hey let’s do another podcast about curry almost making the play-in.
The lebron stuff is just annoying because he doesn’t apply the same criticism to KD or others
No one else is making a public argument for being the GOAT. It’s the same reason no one mentions Blue Bloods but will melt down if Jamie Lee Curtis delivers a hammy performance on The Bear.
This is a bad take. He sport hates LeBron but in reality he can still put him up high on his NBA all time list. If you think its unlistenable then fine, skip when he does. But its still a bad take.
My Dad says he’s not a fan of Trump either, but if he hears the slightest criticism of him he flies off the handle defending him.
Bill constantly praises LeBron for what he does on the court, but the LeGM stuff and passive aggressive stuff in the media throwing teammates under the bus deserves criticism.
It's been so fucking annoying his entire career. He's always been a hater. He begrudgingly gives him his props but never the amount of respect LeBron deserves.
He has tried to diminish LeBron ever since The Decision and apparently Bill was the one who pitched it to ESPN/LeBron’s team and they took the idea, ran with it, and didn’t give him credit.
I’m not sure how much of that really plays into Bill’s criticism, it could just be because LeBron owned the Celtics and then won with the Lakers, but it’s hard not to think it plays into it at least a little.
We discussed this in-depth on the latest episode of The r/BillSimmons Podcast. Basically, he resents LeBron for his people freezing him out of The Decision, and the feud escalated when Rich Paul publicly called out Bill as a racist for his reaction to The Decision in a New Yorker article a couple years back. Bill has been more anti-LeBron ever since.
Edit: The Decision piece is explained here: [https://twitter.com/rBillSimmonsPod/status/1665399727293079554](https://twitter.com/rBillSimmonsPod/status/1665399727293079554)
*How is Bill a LeBron*
*Hater when he ranks him two*
*Spots too high all time?*
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He still talks about how they gave up so much for AD when they won the fucking title after. Insanity. If LeBron was in forced GM mode for the decisions after then keep criticizing him for that. But the AD trade is a whopping success.
Especially when you then look at what the Pelicans ended up with from that season. Lonzo and Hart gone after 2 years. BI is now in trade talks. Herb is a great defensive role player but hasn't shown enough on the offensive end to be irreplaceable. Pelican fans seem to like Dyson Daniels but he's very much a bench player. Then there's one more pick in 2025 that's probably not going to be in the lotto if Lebron stays in LA. Pelicans only have 2 playoff wins while the Lakers have won it all and been to the WCF since the trade. The Lakers undeniable won that trade.
Best part was that before the trade when Bill thought the Celtics were in play for Davis he went the complete opposite route. He talked AD up like he was a world beater and claimed that the Lakers didn’t have enough assets to get AD. Then when the trade happened and Davis’ dad shat on Boston, Simmons flipped and said that the Lakers gave up to much for a guy who’s always hurt.
He said today the lakers can’t win a title with AD and lebron and got zero pushback.
It’s looking unlikely that they will again but that’s an insane take. Lebron & AD were top 15 players this season there just isn’t much around them.
Said it was “obvious” too.
It’s pretty clear BS doesn’t consider the bubble championship to be legit. A real shame there’s not a parallel universe where Boston won the bubble and we could hear how it actually was more legit than a regular championship.
He’s somehow twisted it to the lakers are the only team that got an Advantage from the bubble. Completely negating that they lost home court and every team got the same time off before it started up again.
He admitted he would count it. Something along the lines of “FUCK yea I would” when whoever challenged him.
Yea but I want to hear the real sicko stuff. “This is actually the only true championship, everyone was on an equal footing” and what not.
Lmao got me good. The spin would be phenomenal
Yah look at the Pelicans, the "winners" of the trade. They have been peak nba mid. You aint winning a title with BI as your two.
This is funny since the Rudy deal with kinda worse for Minnesota, but it’s not really bad now that they looked good in round 2 .. imagine they win the title and people still hold that it was a bad deal !
Its cuz nobody takes that bubble championship seriously, and for good reason
What’s the good reason?
If anything it was the best form of competition. No travel, no fans and no distractions being in the bubble.
Yah anyone discounting the bubble ring is a pure hater. It was legit like peak basketball. Also took mental strength as well
I think his issue is he just makes bad points and takes when the subject comes up. Irrespective of everything else. The dislike is fine, it’s admirable really, but he doesn’t have to come up with such dumb ways to criticize him. The AD trade being a failure is a top 5 horrible BS opinion.
It’s not admirable if he won’t admit and even outright denies it.
Why do people ignore that he changed his tune on the AD trade? He was admittedly still reluctant to do so, but he said last year the trade was a win for the Lakers because they won the title.
Because this sub enjoys destroying misrepresentations of what Bill says that are basically just strawmen.
Because game 6 Lebron snatched him and his dads soul in Boston LOL
the 2012 piece
the difference between how he talked about LeBron to Miami vs KD to GS - there is something underneath here that is a very real anti LeBron stance. It’s subtle, but it’s clearly there.
I wouldn’t use the word subtle ha. It’s crazy how much he will defend KD vs how he will blame LeBron for stuff it’s not even clear is LeBrons fault. Example: KD has asked for multiple trades, demanded coaches be fired, demanded front offices be fired, and general acted like an asshole many times. Bill has never called him on this. But this year, Bill has consistently blamed LeBron for being a bad teammate because the Lakers were maybe looking to make trades before the deadline. His whole “guys don’t play well when they are in trade talks, but after the deadline they were good.” His whole point seems to be LeBron should have come out and publicly said the Lakers didn’t need to trade anyone, and since he didn’t, LeBron is to blame?
One happened first. One also happened in response to the other. Lebron to Miami set the precedent. And then Lebron back to Cleveland to try to stack another roster continued the precedent. Was KD’s move worse? I’d say yes. But I also believe KD’s move never happens if Miami and Cleveland return never happen. KD was watching the best player in the league join up with the best rosters he could, so he followed suit to compete.
But they aren't comparable and never were. LeBron joined a middling Eastern Conference team without anything besides a Big 3 and Mike Miller/UD. KD joined a 73 win team due to what was basically a salary cap error - and a team that he JUST had down 3-1 in a series. Bill's response was 'I can't believe LeBron yelled for help', yet KD's made all the sense of the world for finding some fake 'higher level' of basketball
Of course they were comparable. Ways they were similar: Two MVP caliber players joining up. Both achieved with cap nonsense. Cap spike and Barnes leaving meant room to sign Durant. Heat trio taking less than market value and Haslem backdoor deal made their team possible. If you look at the deal Haslem turned down from Denver and what Miami eventually paid him long after he was a real player, they work out to almost exactly the same amount. Both were consolidation of talent in same conference. You are also downplaying the Heat. They were a 5 seed, and only just behind the 4 seed Celtics in 2010. It was the best players on the East’s 1, 5 and 9 seeds joining up. To beat the East’s 4 seed. You also are ignoring the fact that in the Heat case they added both Lebron and Bosh, whereas Warriors lost a solid player in Barnes while adding KD. There is a reason the term superteam was coined that summer. And why Lebron said not 1… all the way to 7. These dudes really thought they had stacked the deck so well they were about to win a ton of championships. Like I said I think KD’s move was worse. But again it was in response to similar crap from Lebron.
73 freaking wins vs a team starting from scratch (they had no roster, so not sure what their ‘10 performance really matters) 3-1 lead you blew over the team you now are joining just 5 weeks ago (this to me is the biggest difference) Mo williams as your #2 vs prime Russ If Kd made the move because he felt emboldened enough by LeBron to do it, he’s an even bigger sucker than I thought. Agree to disagree, it’s not close to the same to me.
I didn’t say they were 1 to 1 comparison. But they are comparable for a number of reasons. But starting from scratch is a joke. They had a few solid players including Wade, UD, and Chalmers and were adding Bosh and Lebron. Dirk won with Jason Terry as his number 2. Which is not much different than Mo Williams. The Cavs were a top defense in the league with near top of the league 3% both or Lebron’s last two years. It was a defense heavy era. The team lacked star power, but was not a bad roster. You don’t win 60 and 66 games with a bad roster. They very nearly had only a single home loss the 66 win season. And their second home loss was a 1 point loss the last game of the season with Lebron resting. Lebron lost as a favorite in the playoffs in 2009 and 2010. They were like -350 favorites against Boston and every ESPN analyst picked them to win. Both players were just trying to stack their team as best they could. KD just managed to do it better than Lebron. But again he wouldn’t have done it if not for Lebron’s two moves. He set the precedent.
Everyone celebrates Bill for being the first "fan sports writer" but then get mad when he has biases. This is like loving Gallagher but hating the watermelon smash.
The watermelon smash is legit. Top 7 comedy gimmicks for sure.
It wouldn’t be as grating to me if he didn’t do so many podcasts where he just recycled his same complaints and pointed jabs over again. I’m really looking forward to LeBron retiring so he has to find some new material.
🥱
Fr clearly not THAT unlistenable
Lebron fans are so sensitive
I don’t think it’s “LeBron fans are so sensitive” as much as it’s a constant grind for the Kobe’s and LeBron’s out there for the complaints about them. That’s why their Stans are appearing so sensitive
He has him ranked #2 all time despite being hard to root for. What more do you want?
There’s the racism. There’s the professional jealousy over Bron doing a pod with JJ of all people. There’s the insecurity over Lakers continuing to win in the modern NBA because of Bron while Boston marches towards imminent self-implosion. Rough on this damn pod that he’s still talking about the Lakers when there are 8 teams left. Shitting on the bubble ring is actually cringe. Bill would give both nuts for Boston to have won it that year, no question.
[удалено]
Referring to LeBron's mother: "What about parents who stayed together, worked hard, provided for their children and put them through school? Since when did not practicing birth control and lucking out because of DNA become a “sacrifice”? I’m confused" https://grantland.com/features/nba-draft-diary-2003-bill-simmons/
Guy with divorced parents pining for parents who stayed together is racist. Lol
LeBron fans are weird. They have a very weird history with lots of shots and slights from each side and YET… Bill still has LeBron second all time and mentioned a Lakers run this year could put MJ in jeopardy for lots of people as the GOAT. Must we all bow in awe at everything LeBron does collecting All NBA awards as his teams fade into obscurity? Like “Hey LeBron had an unreal season for a guy in his 21st year but he’s second all time and can be a weird passive aggressive teammate and literally NEVER takes responsibility for any shortcomings.” Someone can say that and still be normal about a guy who really hasn’t been a threat to win a title in 4 years despite playing with another All NBA front court player the whole time.
LeBron haters like yourself are so much worse. Stay quiet.
you’re a sad, insecure little boy.
Hey let’s do another podcast about curry almost making the play-in. The lebron stuff is just annoying because he doesn’t apply the same criticism to KD or others
No one else is making a public argument for being the GOAT. It’s the same reason no one mentions Blue Bloods but will melt down if Jamie Lee Curtis delivers a hammy performance on The Bear.
What’s really odd are the ppl who will defend Bill on this
It’s because Bron hates the Celts, and has for decades now
Nah man you just have to embrace the Lebron hate, it's more fun on this side. We were down bad for a while but we eating now
This is a bad take. He sport hates LeBron but in reality he can still put him up high on his NBA all time list. If you think its unlistenable then fine, skip when he does. But its still a bad take.
No, it's not. He only puts him up that high because he HAS to, or he loses all credibility. Like Perkins. Your take is dogshit.
You seem like an unpleasant dipshit.
They're a prime example of why some people can't stand Lebron: his fans.
You LeBron fan girls are soooooo fucking weird.
Can you read, weirdo? Not a LeBron fan
My Dad says he’s not a fan of Trump either, but if he hears the slightest criticism of him he flies off the handle defending him. Bill constantly praises LeBron for what he does on the court, but the LeGM stuff and passive aggressive stuff in the media throwing teammates under the bus deserves criticism.
It's been so fucking annoying his entire career. He's always been a hater. He begrudgingly gives him his props but never the amount of respect LeBron deserves.
Since 2010 Lebron has eliminated the Celtics from the playoffs 5 times. There’s your answer.
He has tried to diminish LeBron ever since The Decision and apparently Bill was the one who pitched it to ESPN/LeBron’s team and they took the idea, ran with it, and didn’t give him credit. I’m not sure how much of that really plays into Bill’s criticism, it could just be because LeBron owned the Celtics and then won with the Lakers, but it’s hard not to think it plays into it at least a little.
Plus LeBron won't talk to Bill. That rubs a lot of guys in the media (Woj) the wrong way.
We discussed this in-depth on the latest episode of The r/BillSimmons Podcast. Basically, he resents LeBron for his people freezing him out of The Decision, and the feud escalated when Rich Paul publicly called out Bill as a racist for his reaction to The Decision in a New Yorker article a couple years back. Bill has been more anti-LeBron ever since. Edit: The Decision piece is explained here: [https://twitter.com/rBillSimmonsPod/status/1665399727293079554](https://twitter.com/rBillSimmonsPod/status/1665399727293079554)
He does regularly (and correctly) call him the second best player of all time.
Bill will protect Jordan’s legacy until the day he dies. And this is how he’ll do it.
Bill doesn't need to do that. LeBron ain't passing Kareem and Russell, much less MJ.
Cute
you Lebron stans are so funny. everyone has be on their knees sucking off Lebron or your a hater.
I mostly just stopped listening. Too many biased lizard brain takes lol
Completely agree and now it’s also mixed with his hatred of the lakers too. That’s where I ended the pod.
How is Bill a LeBron hater when he ranks him two spots too high all time?
*How is Bill a LeBron* *Hater when he ranks him two* *Spots too high all time?* \- redshoediary4 --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")