The Ringer
500 episodes listed below
Bill Simmons debates NBA tanking, MVP races, and movies with Zach Lowe and friends.
The Bill Simmons Podcast treats the NBA like an ongoing group text: reactive, argumentative, stat-literate, and never far from a weird analogy. Recent episodes move from Wemby and Jokic to worst contracts, Lakers belief tests, UConn drama, Tiger Woods, Survivor, and old movie riffs.
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The Bill Simmons Podcast is hosted solely by Bill Simmons and structured as interviews and roundtable-style mailbag episodes rather than solo commentary. Recurring guests seen in the sample include Chuck Klosterman, who joins for wide-ranging structural sports debates, Chris Ryan and Joe House, who appear together on mailbag episodes mixing sports and entertainment questions, and Zach Lowe, an NBA analyst who anchors detailed team and player breakdowns. The dominant recurring theme is NBA structural and competitive analysis: tanking reform proposals, draft lottery mechanics, MVP and All-NBA team arguments, trade fallout, and game-by-game evaluation of teams such as the Celtics, Lakers, Cavaliers, Pistons, and Rockets. A secondary theme covers league business and governance — franchise expansion into Seattle and Las Vegas, commissioner decision-making, comparisons to NFL scheduling-based parity, and college basketball's NIL and transfer-portal era. Episodes regularly pivot into pop culture segments on film, television, and awards shows, applying the same debate-and-ranking format used for sports topics to subjects like Kubrick's filmography, Miami Vice, and Industry. The tone is conversational and argumentative, with hosts proposing numbered rule changes, rankings, and hypotheticals rather than delivering straight news recaps. Episodes run roughly 90 to 120 minutes and carry sponsor integration, including FanDuel odds referenced during MVP and playoff discussion. Listeners with existing NBA fandom and familiarity with The Ringer's roster of personalities are the core audience, with pop culture tangents drawing in listeners less focused purely on sports. Production favors loose, unscripted conversation over tightly scripted segments, consistent with an interview and mailbag format.
Made for: NBA fans and Ringer listeners who enjoy long-form, debate-style sports talk mixed with pop culture and film tangents.
What sets it apart: Unlike single-topic NBA podcasts, it pairs structural league analysis with recurring film and TV debates, carried by a rotating cast of Ringer personalities and guests like Zach Lowe and Chuck Klosterman.
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.
Based on 5 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Bill Simmons makes NBA results more legible through lineup detail, historical comparisons, playful frameworks and guests willing to challenge his first read.
Bill Simmons turns current NBA questions into arguments that can keep changing as the evidence piles up. With Zach Lowe, he moves from the stakes of a San Antonio-Denver game to shooting development, playoff matchups and the physical problems created by an injured frontcourt.
This is the show that turns an NBA panic meter into a group chat with footnotes.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
Simmons and Lowe turn fake awards into a smart, loose map of a strange NBA season.
Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe use the Made-Up NBA Awards as an excuse to wander through the season's weirdest and most revealing NBA arguments. The San Antonio-Denver opener gives it real juice: Wemby and Jokic turn an early Saturday game into an overtime measuring stick, with MVP…
A basketball conversation that starts with UConn's comeback and settles into playoff-minded NBA debate.
Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe open with UConn's comeback over Duke, and that result sets up a broad NBA conversation. The episode is at its best when it turns to playoff questions and the scary-team draft, especially the Detroit discussion, where matchup reads and roster fit matter…
A sharp postgame NBA check-in, strongest when Simmons and Lowe turn Denver worry into actual basketball detail.
Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe come in straight off Celtics-Lakers, with Simmons reading the game through body language, roster clarity, and whether Boston actually looks connected. The conversation works best once it slides into Denver anxiety.
Game of the year, apparently.
Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe start with UConn's comeback over Duke, then drift into the strangest corners of the NBA season, including a grim scary-team draft and a pretty skeptical look at the league's bigger questions.
This episode features NBA analysts Kirk Goldsberry and Joe House discussing hot takes, the Oklahoma City Thunder's potential issues, and Giannis Antetokounmpo's longevity in the league.
Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe discuss the Celtics' recent struggles, including a loss to Minnesota and offensive issues since Tatum's return, while briefly mentioning upcoming podcast content.
Bill Simmons hosts an annual podcast episode with Joe House and Wosny Lambre where they draft and discuss the worst NBA contracts of 2026.
Bill Simmons hosts a lively NBA mailbag episode with guests Rob Mahoney, Tate Frazier, and J.
This episode previews upcoming NBA discussions with Tim Legler and covers various sports and entertainment topics including March Madness and the Oscars.
Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe discuss Jayson Tatum's return, Victor Wembanyama's performance, and a deep dive into the 2011 MVP race in this NBA-focused podcast episode.
Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe discuss a recent NBA incident where a courtside fan was injured during a game, touching on broader safety concerns and basketball topics.
Snowstorm pod, Celtics-Lakers up front.
Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe discuss the surprisingly fun and competitive 2026 NBA All-Star Game, which redeemed the event after years of criticism.
This episode features a discussion with Chris Ryan, Van Lathan, and Rob Mahoney about handing out 'Heat' awards for the current NBA season.
Bill Simmons rants about the Patriots' loss and Drake's performance, celebrating the Seahawks' Super Bowl win.
Bill Simmons and Cousin Sal go live against the Grammys to discuss sports props and a Knicks-Lakers game.
Bill Simmons previews an episode featuring NBA mailbag with Zach Lowe and Patriots discussion with Kevin Wilds and Joe House.
Bill Simmons promotes his Rewatchables podcast on Netflix, then introduces an NBA power rankings segment with Tim Legler.
Bill Simmons and Cousin Sal discuss NFL playoff results, including the Patriots' AFC Championship win and a Seahawks-Rams game, with humorous banter.
Bill Simmons and Cousin Sal discuss NFL playoff matchups and potential Super Bowl quarterback duels.
Bill Simmons previews NFL playoff games and discusses upcoming NBA topics with guests.
Bill Simmons previews Wild Card Weekend and discusses the podcast's new video distribution on Netflix.
Bill Simmons previews upcoming episodes, discusses NFL playoff games, and promotes his rewatchable movie series.
Bill Simmons discusses his Rewatchables movie list, HBO's Music Box series, and argues for Drake Maye as NFL MVP, then previews NBA talk with Rob Mahoney.
Bill Simmons and Cousin Sal break down NFL week 17 games and discuss playoff seeding and week 18 implications.
Bill Simmons promotes his rewatchables series and previews an NFL game recap with Cousin Sal, discussing the Patriots' win over the Ravens.
Bill Simmons discusses recent Rewatchables episodes, a documentary series, and reacts to an NFL game while sharing NBA thoughts.
Bill Simmons discusses upcoming rewatchables episodes, a Counting Crows documentary, and recaps recent NBA and NFL topics with guests Zach Lowe and Todd McShay.
Bill Simmons promotes upcoming episodes about movies and music, then briefly comments on recent mass shootings.
Bill Simmons promotes upcoming episodes and podcasts while discussing sports and pop culture.
Bill Simmons promotes a Rewatchables episode on Shampoo with Cameron Crowe and a new sports/culture podcast Game Over with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul, then addresses Stephen A.