The NBA Needs Its Next “Unicorn” Moment | The Bill Simmons Podcast

[@chunkvv]

I keep hearing "unicorns" to pass the torch but tbh I think we need more villains

[@vitocarlucci111]

Villains only exist when rivalries exist. Rivalries were killed with player movement in free agency and fans rooting for players over their own teams.

[@NoName-cn3cp]

Villain Brooks

[@natashakuzmanoska9656]

Luka Book started and ended couple of months after.

[@maartenvz]

​@@vitocarlucci111social media killed rivalries, players are too concerned with their image.

[@boondockbwoy14]

Indeed that right there can def be a KEY part of it the villain element..we saw a great example of it the other day with Trae and New York and whenever they duel it's always had big hype around it you can't deny so to have at least that going on is good for the league more is needed

[@zimmy4868]

Mid 80s to late 90s was peak nba.

[@petercena9497]

Yep, 84-98. Declined after Jordan left the Bulls.

[@felixpettaway613]

Bingo, that's all in a nut shell.

[@karimzakaria9621]

Alot of people say they like parity and egalitarianism in the NBA, but the NBA has always been at its best when theres been a great story line. Magic vs Bird in the 80s, Jordan dynasty in the 90s, LeBron vs Golden State in the finals.

[@petercena9497]

@karimzakaria9621 You're correct to point out the mid 2010s, when the NBA did hit a minor peak.

[@fortynights1513]

@@karimzakaria9621If parity showed up in the ratings, the 70’s would have been the highest rated

[@iTuber012]

I don't think people are saying the NBA will go out of business but folks are saying the product sucks

[@Diribssa123]

Hence the video

[@TheRealUcanUwill]

As European Basketball fan, I follow the NBA, but hate watching the NBA for one good reason - timeout and stoppage length. NBA is just a business, they only care about money and they made commercial breaks so long, its no longer watchable, to me at least, they even comercialised official reviews, peak capitalistic dystopia. I watch Euroleague games, far less talent on that court, far better product to watch.

[@SpecOpsCM]

@@TheRealUcanUwill welcome to the future of America. Money is the end that all means contribute to in this form of capitalism. It’s getting darker..

[@MrBacchus18]

@@TheRealUcanUwill It's probably partially why soccer struggles here, not enough stoppage time for advertising.

[@keenannorris3309]

People are wrong. It doesn't suck. But it needs work: Too many threes, too many entitled players taking too much time off. But there are so many great things about the current NBA product; I've been hearing about how terrible the NBA is from American fans since the 70s and many of the complaints have a common thread...

[@Mskedu47]

Saying the NBA ratings don’t matter because they signed a new TV deal is like saying Embiid being hurt doesn’t matter because he signed an extension

[@Takeahnase]

@@Mskedu47 Bill doesn’t understand the difference between lagging and leading indicators. I can tell you no one wants to watch Alex Sarr jack 6 threes a game, though.

[@eliyarrows2456]

What a totally incompetent comparison lmao.

[@chrisolivo6591]

Do they matter? The NBA just got a huge new TV deal despite declining ratings for the past decade. It doesn’t make sense to me, but i guess the networks are so desperate for sports programming, they will overpay?

[@opieg7333]

They matter less than in the past. It is a shifting landscape and the traditional "more TV sets in circulation, therefore more direct viewership ratings to boost profitability" rubric is morphing. Traditional ad sales are no longer the focus of most marketing budgets so, that traditional ad spot as the sole goal of content has changed to more of a interactive engagement model. While it is still nascent, it will culminate in personalized ad and sales opportunities becoming the measure over ratings on the current trajectory. The NBA is by far the "best" of the major pro sports leagues in player recognition and online engagement which is what the soon to be target demographic likes. Short highlight packages, clips, non-game content like summer workouts, etc. So it doesn't matter if Embiid is hurt so long as he can still engage (and as we will see in the near future, pitch product) to viewers, fans and followers. That NBA player follower base is the "hidden" value that these new deals are hoping to unlock and monetize - the content is just to get the eyes, but selling add generic spots in world of individual streamers that are ID'ed and can be targeted through direct marketing is the real game of the future. (Maybe Embiid is a bit much, but think of all the rehab videos and come back tweets we see now. 10 years ago, it was like "oh that player is finally back?", now its an event with hype and build up). 24/7/365 story-lines and player engagement is what those record contracts are about. No one care to much about how many fans show up to the game, and its becoming that way with the regular season games too.

[@thefearmakerlive]

@opieg7333 But I would add, as someone who goes to NFL, NBA, and MLB games in Atlanta, the NBA has the best in arena experience, followed by MLB, then NFL. The pitch clock and player personal music intros really helped the MLB. But there is something fun during every stoppage in arena at an NBA game.

[@jaxsonsdad79]

I love when Historical Bill starts throwing his fastball like Nolan Ryan in 1986.

[@chrisuncleahmad789]

It felt like 'Book of Basketball' the audio version

[@HerbHerman-le5ux]

@@jaxsonsdad79 but his argument pretty much was “nba only in good place when Celtics are great” lol his bias is very clear even if he doesn’t want to admit it. Go back and listen when he says the league is in great shape… it’s the times the Celtics are successful - with singular caveat being Jordan bulls

[@allank8497]

@@HerbHerman-le5uxyeah especially trying to claim that the 76 finals was an example of the nba being massively successful popularity-wise, is fucking crazy

[@mikehuly4208]

@@HerbHerman-le5ux the Celtics are successful right now and he is saying the league is in trouble right now.

[@WSquaredSports]

@@HerbHerman-le5uxyou’re not wrong, but that’s kind of how the league works. When the most popular teams/athletes are doing well (Celtics, Lakers, Jordan, LeBron, Curry etc.) typically that helps to prop the rest of the sport up. It’s not a definite rule, like the guy said above, Bill says the NBA is in a bad spot right now while the Celtics have the best team since their big three run over a decade ago. But, if the big teams/ markets/ players are doing great, it brings more eyes to the sport.

[@JoeMama-tl4tr]

Whenever the Bucks win anything it seems like the entire media only talks about negatives and how the league is in trouble

[@kevingreenlee2453]

Right , or the fact that the Cavs have the best record ... something must be WRONG !!! The league is completely BROKEN. lol .

[@the-scripture]

or its cause ratings are at an all time low

[@HerbHerman-le5ux]

If everyone appreciated Giannis instead of constantly critiquing him, nba would be in better spot. Who cares that he’s in Milwaukee. Embrace the small market stars.

[@DrakeMaybe]

He got pushed aside for The one hit wonder Jokic

[@dimitrythomas4158]

@@DrakeMaybe Giannis is also a “one hit wonder”

[@boondockbwoy14]

I believe people wanted the underdog hawks to upset the bucks and make the cup finals due to the fact it brings the storyline up another notch a nice plot twist.. the bucks making it was just too predictable and I believe that's why a whole lot of viewership died off right after they won

[@drewferd2720]

@@boondockbwoy14nobody cares about the NBA Cup regardless of who’s in it. It’s literally just scheduled games that they deem tournament game haha dumb. Instead of the All Star break, make that a tournament week that doesn’t count towards the regular season but still get the bonus for winning. If it is consecutive then you lose interest waiting for the next game

[@ntnnot]

@@DrakeMaybe Jokic a one hit wonder... asinine take

[@efroeli]

That last element about how easy it is to keep up with the league without actually WATCHING a game is huge. I'm firmly in that camp; i keep crazy up to date with the league, watch tons of content etc... but very very very rarely actually watch a game.

[@schuylersavage276]

@JamesWill-t8p very interesting comment. I’m wondering which direction you are going with this. do you think most fans are only watching the 10 minute recap of games and only seeing the very end of half of the possessions and that’s why all they think happens in the game is a whole bunch of 3 balls being jacked up and view league redundancy as being more of a serious thing today than it’s been in the past? OR maybe that it’s the fans who only watch the exciting recaps of games, with all of the good plays and MADE 3s and highlights, who think the league today is fun and exciting, only because they aren’t “slogging”( not saying I feel this way, but this is the belief ) through all of the missed 3s and perhaps foul baits and whatnot?

[@keenannorris3309]

@JamesWill-t8p That's true. The same thing was said in the 90s b/c of the rise of ESPN highlights. Everybody said that people were just watching dunks and not appreciating the game itself and that all the dunk highlights were making younger players focus on trying to be like Mike instead of playing fundamental ball. Younger fans have no idea how hated Kobe was (not to mention J.R. Rider, Harold Miner, all the prior next MJs). It is literally an American pasttime to hate on the NBA, as Bill is explaining in detail.

[@Shortballa11]

because there are too many subscriptuoions

[@keenannorris3309]

@JamesWill-t8p I'm from L.A. When Kobe was going off scoring 81 points, 63 in 3 quarters against the 60-win Mavs, and 50 in 4 straight games all anyone did was complain about how much of a ball hog he was and how he diminished his teammates. Every radio show, every TV spot, it was endless. He was negatively compared to MJ before him and LeBron coming up behind him. NBA "fans" just like to complain.

[@keenannorris3309]

@JamesWill-t8p I think you're missing James's point. He's pointing out the irony and absurdity of criticizing today's players for jacking up too many threes while simultaneously praising Kobe, who is probably the most notorious ball hog in NBA history. The list of complaints lodged against the league has always been a mile long and it is no worse now than at several other times in league history.

[@dearmas9068]

To me, maybe the biggest issue is the monetization system the NBA is using. How many subscriptions do I need to watch JUST my favorite team?! Its like 6, and if I dont have all of them, I get blacked out. I will continue to steal the product, streaming illegally, until I can pay a FAIR price to ONE subscription. Anything short of that, and I wont spend a dime.

[@QGuides]

@@dearmas9068 ab so fucking lutely. I need eight different subscriptions to watch the whole damn season. Fuck this shit.

[@CzarsSalad]

@@dearmas9068 im watching the games via illegal streaming. I don't feel guilty about it

[@boondockbwoy14]

Exactly this right here what you've just pointed out is the MAIN reason behind it all and I have no clue why the NBA doesn't wanna recognize and address this and why many people themselves can't see it..I'm sure they must know it's just ridiculous to have to scramble and subscribe to all these dif outlets just to catch your fav team play, right? So then these streaming sites are created and the product gets stolen

[@boogieslim6636]

NBA League Pass???

[@maartenvz]

Amen (Thompson)!

[@SpaceAvaliable]

The whole too many foreigners thing is such a balogna. I've not heard one real person complain about that. They shoot too many 3s and nobody has cable anymore.

[@infasis]

It's crazy watching teams like OKC who are so much better at midrange refuse to stop chucking threes even when it's going like last night too. People act like they had no choice, but that's nonsense. (Never mind that Giannis doesn't shoot 3's and usually is the highest scoring player in games like this too)

[@faywhite7886]

@@infasis This! I was actually intrigued at the beginning of the game seeing OKC scoring in the mid range/post pretty easily.

[@schuylersavage276]

@@infasisdo you think they would have been able to keep up with a 17/40 night from the Bucks without the attempted 3s though? I know they missed! So it didn’t work. But let’s say they only took 19 3s instead of the 32 or so they took. So let’s say those 13 possessions they take 2s/. Make 7? That’s really good…let’s say they make 6 cuz bucks D in the paint is really solid lately. So thars 12 points. And let’s give them 2 FTs. They still lose….and that’s being generous. Point being, when one team is making nearly 50 percent of their 3s, at high volume, if you can’t match them it’s going to be very hard to keep up! BUT I understand what I said isn’t a perfect equivalence. It’s not really fair for me to do it that way, but it was just an anecdote to show why teams feel so forced to take 3s. As a Celtics fan, I have seen almost every team in the first month of the year where their interior D was weak trt to beat them via 60% 2s vs the Celtics 3s. And almost NO ONE could. It was actually crazy to see it. Teams would have the game of their lives but Celtics always go on one of their streaks every so often and nail 3 3s in 35 seconds lol. It’s very hard to win when you aren’t making 3s in a league of shooters who take 35-50 per game! That volume is just SO high that unless the teams shoots like below 30 percent, it’s going to be hard to beat them if you only take 2s yourself!

[@infasis]

@@schuylersavage276 I only really say that because of their defense. I don't mean for teams playing high paced and getting up tons of shots, but for OKC's specific case and roster it might work better.

[@schuylersavage276]

@@infasis ok I hear that! I do like the idea of teams being confident enough to think for themselves. I actually believe the Celtics, while they are one of the teams, maybe THE team, that is setting the trend so many are trying to follow with the 3 ball, came up with their own vision a few years ago and have shown exceptional foresight to craft the team and roster and style of play they have weaponized right now. To your point, the Celtics didn’t just start chucking 50 3s per game in 2017 when they first got this idea. They slowly over time made the moves to bring in the players they knew could execute their vision most perfectly. As we saw, Al horford was not a good fit for some teams in the modern game. But, on a team with a specific mantra and approach, he is literally SO valuable to them! Same with Derrick White. NOW everyone sees his value, it’s immense, but in San Antonio he was just sort of wasting away and no one knew it, except for Steven’s and the Celtics! Also Targeting Pritchard and keeping him two summers ago. Bringing in KP when he was also wasting away in DC adter the league sort of forget about him when it went bad with Luka. It’s all so brilliant. And to that point, Presti has done an amazing job crafting his vision in OKC! Like wow! But I guess we’ll see if they are able to stick to the mantra of how they want to play the game, not just who they want playing for them. But I have to say I do think they are a team that should shoot 3s at a decent rate. They have too mant good shooters not to let them. Williams is a great shooter. Isiah Joe tippy top. They got like 7 guys between 38-42 percent. I think they typically do have a nice mix of mid range and interior approach with SGAs unstoppable game and Isiah in the paint, and then they mix in Williams off the dribble shooting and creating ability with the rest of the role players who are almost all best at shooting 3s than they are any other offense approach

[@FurdTurgeson]

Peak Simmons. NBA historian.

[@Chudsic]

He got me thinking when he said NFL only has 10 superstars while the NBA has 35-40. I actually had trouble getting to 10 for the NFL but 35-40 is a stretch for the NBA. NFL: Lamar Jackson, Allen, Burrow, Prescott, Stafford, Jefferson, Mahomes, Kelce, Tyreek Hill, Rodgers (you could argue Stafford/ Prescott are stars because QBs in Dallas and LA but that might be stretching it). NBA: Tatum, Embiid, PG, Giannis, Dame, Young, LaMelo, Jimmy Butler, Joker, Steph, Draymond, Luka, Kyrie, Klay, Ant, Harden, Kawai, Shai, Lebron, AD, Ja, Durant, Booker, Zion, Wemby

[@jimmy8647]

@@Chudsic "Recognizable" stars he said. KAT, Zach Lavine, Jalen Brunson, Jaylen Brown, Chris Paul, Donovan Mitchell, Trae Young, Demar Derozan, Van Fleet, Bradley Beal, Tyrese Haliburton, De'Aaron Fox, Jamal Murray,.

[@SuperRobertoClemente]

"'Too woke,' I'm not gonna touch that." Actually, Bill, it would be nice if you DID touch it. (White) people root for the NBA to fail, they always have. You have a booming, highly profitable league. Ratings no longer matter bc no one watches TV anymore. The NBA is still global and huge. So why is anyone fretting about it? It's just racism. Sorry folks. I said it.

[@mikehuly4208]

​@@Chudsic NFL used to market their defensive stars much better, who is a big defensive star now? Tj Watt? hard to think of any really.

[@jmparkvt]

Dropped a “ballyhoo” on us 6:56

[@Sambam1981]

The carrying of the ball when dribbling, the lack of defense, the 3 pointers, the load management is killing the league. And the younger generation just don’t watch a lot of tv for a long period of time. College basketball is bad. There isn’t any stars in college basketball anymore. This leads to the NBA. No one knows who the stars are in college anymore. And one more thing that is killing the NBA AAU basketball

[@JordanStopper82]

spot on

[@ScottMeeson]

Very well said. This was a great product in the 80's ,90's, and up to 2010. I will not watch the NBA anymore.

[@RobertStack-j4j]

Good point, college basketball is awful right now

[@G.O.A.T_EDITZZ_10]

Oh my gosh, the carrying is not getting enough attention. They’ve always carried a little bit and people did not get too upset about it, but what they are doing today is insane. Now they can do whatever they want with the ball. That’s another reason why offense is up. How can you play defense against that?

[@markfroman738]

These dudes want to get paid not to work and that ain’t a turn on for fans at all.

[@c.j.4620]

This is the reason Bill Simmons the media personality exists

[@korhashamo]

To bootlick for Adam Silver trashing the league by letting Pop and Nick Kerr’s dad run their idiotic mouths?

[@sjturner15]

@@korhashamo dead serious what are you yapping about

[@bradm4493]

@@sjturner15 he doesn’t even know 🤣

[@fortynights1513]

Really good video on his part

[@him4882]

Bill masterclass here

[@ryandenis7667]

4 out of the 5 unicorn moments being Celtics history is hysterical

[@mrfathed3129]

I blame sports betting. It made all sports conversations so fucking boring. I don't fucking care about you draft kings blah blah blah.

[@fallenshallrise]

For real. (If you are having a gambling problem in Alabama call 1 800 i sold my kids and in Illinois call 888 holy shit and in Texas mail a self addressed stamped envelope to oh no I bet my rent on the OKC Supersonics again, etc. etc. etc.)

[@reedtheroom9580]

Yea this really hurt sports media more than anything. However every time a player gets caught betting it makes me so suspicious of everything, officiating in particular

[@SpecOpsCM]

Money money money

[@nycedyme4]

So there’s no betting at all in the NFL. Clown

[@rickDArula]

I agree ! Sports betting is so annoying

[@c.fab.236]

I’m not a huge bill Simmons guy but wow this was gold actually well done

[@trolleyman98]

Isn't that what Wemby was supposed to do? The NBA media only cares about teams from LA Boston or NYC. That's the biggest problem.

[@kevink1575]

@trolleyman98 The thing is, Wemby isn't interested in being the face of the league. You're also correct that the NBA does a piss poor job of marketing him and others.

[@SantosLHalper33]

The difference between NFL and NBA media is stark. No one is pushing for Mahomes to go to a bigger market but every time there's a star in the NBA not from the coasts, every show is frothing at the mouth begging them to leave. Christ, countdown was talking about trading Giannis right before the game last night. Shameful.

[@eliyarrows2456]

Wemby has played 92 games so far. He’s not even 1/10th of the player he’ll be in 5 years. And the NBA media only cares about the reigning champ, LA, NY, Lebron, Curry, KD. That’s about it, everyone else feels lucky when their team gets talked about.

[@MrOctober44]

He's a non-American playing on a medicore, small market team. Like Jokic, he does as little press as possible. As far as the favoritism to certain areas, welcome to sports, lol. Welcome to the real world as well .

[@MarkFirstList]

Yes, if Jokic/Giannis/Wemby etc were in NYC or LA, this would be a bit different conversation. But they aren't, and the game still seems less watchable than past years to this NBA fan.

[@chrisamundson6717]

Interesting how every “unicorn moment” must involve L.A. or Boston (usually both). Simmons’ coastal-centric view of NBA history fairly sums up the approach of the league and the national sports media in regards to coverage. There is a refusal to properly discuss and highlight superstars from smaller markets and has led to a self fulfilling prophecy where if the top player/s don’t play for the biggest markets, viewership (at least in the United States) goes down. This is where the NFL is successful where the NBA isn’t. NFL coverage goes where the talent is instead of wishing the talent was in a different city.

[@mikeclarke3990]

Hey guess what? Watching 100 3s go up every game isn't very exciting. It's not a USA thing either I'm in Australia and my friends agree with the too many 3s.

[@ptyten9718]

@@mikeclarke3990 international numbers isn't really an issue. The NBA consistently dominates other markets compared to its american counterparts like the NFL and the MLB. I hear on the style of play but to me their biggest problems are the lack of new true superstars and the constant injuries resulting in stars missing a lot of games.

[@fkm512]

Agree 100% I am a fan in New Zealand and have had league pass for over a decade and find myself actively turning games off this season. A lot of them feel like a chore to sit through with all the threes, stoppages and complaining

[@chrisuncleahmad789]

@@fkm512 The NBA 20 years ago was a chore to watch. No threes, isoball, over and over again. And yet people revere that era because 'tough defense'

[@Jmw357]

So he speaks on ratings and you argue global ratings with you and your 3 dumb ass Aussie friends.

[@willlydon1863]

@@fkm512yeah it genuinely sucks and I don’t know if it’s some sort of player lack of awareness but I feel the exact way. And I don’t like to make it about money at all but like cmon man your pulling a 40 million dollar paycheck and your going to ruin the entertainment aspect every time you chuck a shot up? Kinda sucks I find myself as a way bigger football fan this year

[@runawayuniverse]

I still keep up with the league, but I rarely watch live games for two reasons. I'm not a gambler, so when most the ads are gambling related and you're seeing employees of the networks shilling for gambling sites, I don't like it. Speaking of ads, both the insane amount of commercial breaks and now for the past few seasons in game ads during free throws. I hate it. Also the amount of ads EVERYWHERE on the broadcast (the floor, the uniforms etc.) is visually unappealing to me. One more thing is the NBA cup gimmick courts need to go. They are TERRIBLE!

[@teejaye6226]

one of the best vids i've seen, nice little trip through nba history. Though i would say magic having hiv and retiring was bigger than the decision bc everyone thought that magic would be dead in a year.

[@BC-th3mx]

@@teejaye6226 😲

[@keenannorris3309]

3-4 years

[@danielplainview2360]

From 1999 to 2014, the San Antonio Spurs won 5 championships, and had an incredible rivalry with the Lakers. Bill Simmons:

[@Jay-om8gr]

And they actually started the 3 point revolution in 2012-13. Years before curry. Curry made it popular

[@maartenvz]

And to a lesser degree with the Mavericks.

[@MarkFirstList]

Agree this was a miss in the video. But he is focusing on cultural status in the bigger culture, and the Spurs were never that big outside of NBA true fans. Total respect to the Spurs and Duncan and Pop in particular, but they didn't have the overall cultural impact/import like the other stars he mentions.

[@jcf4074]

He mentioned Tim duncan and that nobody resonated with him. He mentioned that no one cared about the 03 finals. The 99 lockout season was a bad moment. There was zero hype for all four titles they won from 99-07. Their style of basketball was boring for the casual fan, and that's not good for business. That's the whole point of this

[@danielplainview2360]

@@jcf4074 It wasn't boring. It's because they were in a small market. If they were the New York Spurs, they would've been talked about as one of the greatest dynasties of all time.

[@trolleyman98]

And 40 recognizable players is being very generous

[@jaredbattista4985]

Thanks. If the NFL only has 10 then no way NBA has 40

[@deepvoicedude4749]

@@jaredbattista4985 The real answer is both leagues have maybe 3 that are recognizable to non sports fans. I don't think people realize how siloed media is now a days, if you aren't a sports fan you just don't know shit about sports. I have friends who don't follow sports who couldn't tell you Shohei Ohtani or Aaron Rodgers are. Monoculture died about a decade ago, so anyone who became "famous" after around 2014 will never be a household name.

[@Debonair73]

25 recognizable players playing today at the most when I just started naming players off the top of my head.

[@andymore62]

That’s why the NFL is so big. It’s about the game and the teams, not individuals.

[@grayson0916]

@@jaredbattista4985 to be fair, the NBA is much more star driven and the players don’t have their faces covered when they play. I do agree that he’s massively overstated the difference though.

[@arsenalx95]

That was amazing Bill. I truly enjoyed that. You and your team keep up the great work!

[@MercDawg]

Agreed! This was AWESOME. The history of the NBA very efficiently explained. Thank you Bill. HOF NBA Fan/historian

[@souki0777]

Giannis and Jokic are literally right here being generational for years and will continue but the media still are just sucking off the aging stars. We all know why. Both small markets,both foreigners....

[@eddiecampbell9663]

Denver is a medium size market.....it's 30 teams in the nba 1st 10 are big markets 10-20 are medium size markets and 20-30 are small markets.......Denver atlanta...Phoenix est are medium size markets who get alot of exposure.....

[@MikeDrewYT]

@@eddiecampbell9663Denver is a small market. There are only big markets and small markets in the NBA. That’s obvious from how the media treat different teams. That’s the point of the distinction.

[@eddiecampbell9663]

@@MikeDrewYT it's more than 3 teams who are big markets....Dallas is a big market..... Miami is a big market....Houston is a big market....

[@divideandmultiply]

​@@eddiecampbell9663that's an NBA media problem. The NFL makes an effort to market and talk about all of its teams and doesn't ignore stars in "small" markets.

[@eddiecampbell9663]

@@divideandmultiply u hit the nail on the head....I do notice that in the NFL.....tv media should be as important in the nba for smaller markets....Antman is as big a star in Minnesota as the wide receiver for the vikings.....

[@jameriking]

This was a good one. Great recap. Counting the amount of "lull moments" and how long they last could've made it even more interesting.

[@prodigy513]

Bill gave a performance on this one. Bravo.

[@GalaxyDPT]

“You can follow the league without watching the games” This is 100% me.

[@Serbist]

I don’t think this point is brought up enough. Viewership in almost all TV is down, because people don’t have to watch games/shows when they are live anymore (nevermind the issues with cable/streaming). Similar to how box office sales are declining. There’s an issue of affordability at the same time when people can just wait a little before the movie is available on streaming.

[@Itchybunny-ob9rk]

Seems like a real 5 head idea but if the NBA ever had a game on a public broadcast channel and not behind a 300 dollar a year nba tv wall i bet people would watch more

[@jakeodell-o9k]

@JamesWill-t8p $100 to not watch your local team because of blackouts. What a value!

[@eliyarrows2456]

I just have regular cable and I have every single one of my teams games, along with every primetime ESPN and TNT game, along with the free nba tv game. What are you talking about?

[@andymore62]

Yh, growing up in Southern California, every morning I’d go to school and talk about the Laker game with my classmates because they were all on KCAL, so even the poorest kids could watch. Now with games off of public broadcast stations, each generation of fans will get progressively smaller.

[@andymore62]

​@@eliyarrows2456 that’s just because you happen to have whatever cable provider your local team happened to cut a deal with.

[@michaelrandall6184]

Bill Simmons - this was legendary analysis. I know the history of the NBA. But you REALLY KNOW the history of the game. Very enjoyable listen.

[@GNTHEGUNS]

Bill simmons narratives is what is wrong with nba. The fans want raw truth.

[@vincentseidle954]

Raw truth in what way?

[@GNTHEGUNS]

@vincentseidle954 Real beefs, Real rivalries, no bs officiating, Real defense, Letting us hear what the players actually want for example they want more rest but they don't say why they don't shorten season. Enough for you?

[@GNTHEGUNS]

@JamesWill-t8p ok dude. That's why ratings are down. How can someone determine who actually is the best if the way the game is called doesn't allow them to find out.

[@vincentseidle954]

@@GNTHEGUNS I hear ya

[@wolfwilliams]

No we don't. We have players switching teams all the time, players yuk-yukking with their pals on the court, rather than hating the guy in the opposing uniform. These guys don't know what 'rivalry' means. Everyone worries about 'brand' and not looking like the villain who might lose social media cred.

[@DANGERProductions2020]

I don’t think Bill understands the definition of “unicorn”. Something happening once every decade isn’t a unicorn; it’s more like a cycle. He’s just describing peaks and valleys.

[@DANGERProductions2020]

I suggest you take your own advice. Unicorn implies something incredibly rare (eg, Wemby is a unicorn of a player). Bill is literally telling us that these moments happen in the NBA periodically, almost predictably, which is the exact opposite. Maybe invest in a dictionary and you’ll understand better.

[@JoeD-gy7cx]

@@DANGERProductions2020Bot

[@NRMidgley]

Lmao yeah he's literally describing a boom-and-bust cycle.

[@joemack8459]

@DANGERProductions2020 nah man a unicorn is a horse that has a horn grow out of its head. Never seen one yet

[@wolfwilliams]

Can't believe Billy skipped over Donaghy and Malice at the Palace.

[@MoogleEmpMog]

Mentioning the '06 finals reffing and not the fact that the Shaq and Kobe "threepeat" would have been a one and done without the referees literally deciding who won the WCF twice, especially in 2002, is certainly a take.

[@Jay-om8gr]

And the spurs of the early 2010s sharing the 3 point revolution crushing Miami

[@kevink1575]

​@Jay-om8gr he's still a quiet spurs hater/Duncan lover because he is still salty about that draft.

[@wolfwilliams]

Right... ad Billy Boy will never confess exlicitly that he is a Business Guy, not a Sports Guy, and he loves the money angle much more than he loves--if he ever loved--the cometitive sports angle. He skips over Donaghy and Malice because those memories are bad for business.

[@coloneldusty4476]

@@MoogleEmpMog Check your facts, that ref didn’t ref any games in the 2002 WCF. He was throwing anything up against the wall to see what sticks in order to keep himself of jail.

[@jeremyellismusic]

I haven't mentioned before, but Bill, you are my fav sports voice to listen to on long drives. I'm a news junkie and binge on that for like 3 hours and finally skip to sports and end up killing another 3 or 4 hours with you and the guys. Always on the right edge of informative and funny and a relazing way to escape from reality of world. Have a nice day.

[@popfortyfive]

20:00 “they have their little run” = 4 rings in 6 finals in 8 years…. Tell us more about the Celtics, Bill.

[@uItimatewarrior]

He totally glosses over Lebron, cavs/warriors

[@RashaadOwens]

The sheer historical accuracy is mind blowing, Bill. Awesome work!

[@bagbroch9339]

This “the old guys won’t go away” thing is very similar to what we’ve seen in corporations and government. All the old people who are supposed to go away refuse to go away.

[@methodsignature]

If the new guys want those folks to go away, they gotta TAKE the torch. Otherwise the new guys won't get any respect. The fact that "LeBron's team" can still put the work on a guy like Morant and the Grizzlies with only AD and a bunch of low caliber roll players shows why those old guys aren't going away. They need to played to a stop in the regular season for a couple few years. A 3peat from Boston with a bad playoff run from all 3 might also have about the same effect. My guess is that the time is coming in the next 2 or 4 years for at least two of Bron, Curry, and Durant. I do want to see someone take up the torch.

[@Maximilian1990]

No corporation will keep someone who is useless to the bottom line. Now will they hire someone of similar nature

[@kennethbarnesEight50]

@@bagbroch9339 that’s the thing though. I’ve seen podcasts when retired players realized it was time for them to go. The old guys aren’t having that moment because they’re carrying the young guys lol

[@je5406]

​@@methodsignature The Lakers are ADs team and they would be in a much better place if a 39 year old wasnt taking up $50 million in annual salary.

[@Shortballa11]

@@methodsignature they already took the torch. Jokic owns Lebron. Ant swept Durant. And the Kings didnt even let Curry get out the play in.

[@nanagyambibi7426]

I remember a time where Ewing, Malone, Dream, Barkley, Payton were all in the league but Stern moved on and began pushing the next wave with Shaq, Duncan, KG, Kobe, TMac, Dirk, Iverson, Carter. Even when Jordan in 2002 returned Stern didnt make him the face of the league, he knew that to keep this thing going you have to push the next wave. Silver's mistake is he never wanted to move on from LeBron, Curry, and KD. HE STILL DOES NOT WANT TO MOVE ON FROM THEM. The league should be pushing Tatum, Giannis, Jokic, Luka, and Shai really hard right now. And on deck are guys like Victor, Paolo, Ant, Ja, Cade, Haliburton.

[@MaelstromEnergy]

@@nanagyambibi7426 I agree. Its literally like taking your medicine. Maybe not the best thing in that exact moment, but best for the long run

[@Jackaroo.]

Exactly.

[@urthpainter]

impressive historical perspective and contextual analysis of the NBA - fun listen

[@kingvta3561]

That’s why people like bill is so necessary he is just educating me about the history of the nba & so interesting

[@Mac2Mon]

The Giannis/Lopez 2 man game dominating was not on my NBA card

[@boondockbwoy14]

Facts won't you agree it would have been awesome if the hawks had made it instead

[@ElBrillante4]

@@boondockbwoy14nah

[@Arjr72]

Dominating what? Their 14-12 😂

[@ReesieWorldPeace]

Outstanding commentary and history lesson, Bill!

[@maartenvz]

We cant overstate how important the illegal defence rule was. With illegal defence you basically couldnt play team defence and the game was very iso heavy. Without illegal defence, team defence became too good, post ups became very hard and scoring/ratings are terrible. There are 2 solutions to this problem; pace and space. Shoot before the defence is set and/or lure the defence out of the paint, break them with spread out ball movement. Phoenix first embraces this (they would be last in todays game in pace btw), orlando takes it up a notch (with lewis and turkoglu), miami is the first real 5 out with bosh and battier and then curry doubles down on it.

[@sp123]

I remember Michael Jordan being against zone defense, saying it would've changed who he was as a player.

[@glovs4188]

Good thing someone knows their history. There's very little rule change from the 2000s or the deadball to the current NBA. The main change is that Nash and the suns was scoring at will with average players by the simple concept of pace and space. And it's not like the drives per game decreased. Teams just became smart enough to convert those long 2s into 3s. Guys like KG, bosh, Duncan have that long 2 in their shot diet. Players today simply decides to shoot a few more feet away for 1 more point.

[@maartenvz]

​@@glovs4188exactly! In the last decade the number of drives has risen significantly and so has the number of dunks. Thats not just the increase in pace. It's those below 40% mid range shots that each team would take 30 times per game that have moved beyond the 3point line. People need to look up this stat (mid range team shooting) for as far back as it is available to see how truly bad it was. Yet nostalgia has a lot of people believing that was great to watch (i mean specifically "the lost art of the mid range game").

[@LongerLasting]

Yes we can overstate it. The illegal defense was so rarely called. The offense had to expose it to get the call and elite players regularly got away with playing zone. See: the Jordan rules or Bird in the 86 finals.

[@Kodreanu23]

I just wonder what happens if 3 defensive seconds rule gets removed. You want Olympics? Make NBA rules same as the FIBA.

[@nigelwalker6684]

This was an excellent display of commitment, dedication & research 🔬 thank you Bill

[@nkm11tbm]

NBA needs to invest in Giannis and Jokic

[@Riles3152]

and Wemby

[@AllenInRealLife]

Dang this was so good Bill. You touched on so much info that I never knew. Fantastic summary of how we got here. I love Basketball man. The next unicorn is coming.

[@hughplayer7612]

The nba needs a new commissioner, not a unicorn. The stars are phenomenal. The game is getting dull, defence barely matters, jacking up threes is taking away from the athleticism. Someone with some balls needs to change something in the actual game, hand checking, no corner threes, teams make their own three point lines plenty of fixes just need someone to do it.

[@ads211]

Woke bill doing woke things. NBA is trash just say it woke bill

[@maartenvz]

Yet drives and dunks are up. Okc, Houston and Orlando (and Minnesota lately) are putting up defensive ratings that would be above average in the rugged 90s. Teams like the nuggets or kings play very different than for instance the Mavericks. We had hand checking, no flagrant fouls and barely any 3s in the 80s and teams still averaged 110 ppg, some (Denver), even 120 ppg. Pace dictates scoring. And pace is required to beat a set team defence (see early 2000s when teams could finally play team defence with illegal defence gone but offenses were still slow and iso heavy). I feel what you are saying is just echo chamber and you have no actual stats to back it up...

[@maartenvz]

​@@ads211Bill gives so many arguments in this video and you just shoot it down as woke without giving any explanation or argument. Great job buddy....

[@SilverKen15]

BINGO. We just need to keep boycotting the league til it listens to us.

[@glovs4188]

@@hughplayer7612 you just watched the bucks out on a defensive masterclass. The garbage teams are garbage to watch ever since the beginning of the NBA. The top teams actually play defense. That's what separates them from the garbage teams.

[@dreamzzzooentertainment]

Great video. Time well invested on my behalf.

[@andrewbaker3855]

I'm telling ya, OKC is still a year away. If they run into a Dallas/Denver/maybe Houston (especially if they get Jimmy) they will fall.

[@Black-kv1iv]

@@andrewbaker3855 Jimmy will be a sun

[@Heemkeem_9]

Okc aren’t legit won’t be until MAYBE 3 years if Chet is a top 15-25 player in the league

[@andrewbaker3855]

@@Black-kv1iv How does that trade work money-wise? You'll likely say "Beal" but don't forget he has a no-trade clause (also, why would Miami want him?) Houston makes so much sense. 1. Jimmy is from there. 2. They have the assets. 3. They actually have pieces that Miami would want.

[@jonathanchan1365]

next minute okx trade for jimmy

[@t-god2439]

@@andrewbaker3855 Houston?!?! They are both young the defense of the thunder will beat them

[@RayBlack-rw4ih]

Thanks so much for revisiting basketball history. I became an NBA fan when I lived in NY the year the Knicks won their last title. I also remember watching Dr. J playing for the Nets, never saw such an exciting player. I watched the Celtics- Suns 76 title classic on tv. ai remember Garfield Heard hitting buzzer jumper in one of the overtimes. My all time favorite game was 6 in the 80 finals when Magic hit 42 with 15 rebounds to beat the 76ers.

[@Quan1992]

Did he just describe the eras of the NBA and name em unicorn moments.

[@Quan1992]

@JamesWill-t8p i disagree.

[@Quan1992]

@JamesWill-t8p you are but okay.

[@Quan1992]

@JamesWill-t8p ok buddy

[@DANGERProductions2020]

You are 100% correct, Quan. Bill is just describing the peaks and valleys of NBA history and calling all the peaks “unicorn moments.” He went as far as to say the last unicorn moment was 2008-2019. Dude is literally calling an ELEVEN YEAR stretch a “moment.” Glad someone else noticed how silly it is.

[@DANGERProductions2020]

Actually to be fair, he said 2008-2019 was a “unicorn stretch”. But an eleven year stretch is kind of the opposite of something you’d label a unicorn (ie, something rare/unique). As you said, it’s an era.

[@fentanyljones6956]

I don’t wanna hear about ratings ever again. Americans love to give a shit about the parts that don’t matter. The business side of the nba means fuck all to me.

[@Weaponator18]

Except the business part of it is how everyone makes money and how we get the product in the first place. Ratings going down matters long term. It's why rule changes haooen

[@Weaponator18]

Except the business part does matter because that affects how much money everyone makes. It's why rule changes happen. So it's absolutely matters.

[@TrustTheProcess34]

You’re so mad the Bucks won and you can’t make up fake Giannis trades up anymore. You decided to skip talking about the Cup just so you didn’t have to praise the Bucks 😂😂😂

[@henryj.4689]

@@TrustTheProcess34 exactly, he’s such a joke, bucks won? Let’s talk about how the league is garbage dump

[@ElBrillante4]

Not just him but media wide it’s been excuses for the thunder and not much credit to the bucks

[@jamesgathings2142]

You did a very, very good job of capturing the history of the NBA. Awesome!

[@Apersonfromthenorthofcali]

Love these nba history lessons

[@thefearmakerlive]

This was great, Bill!

[@jobebryant]

The NBA does not have 35 recognizable stars 😂

[@Dbo_Sports]

@JamesWill-t8pThe Premier League.

[@kevink1575]

​@@Dbo_SportsThis is an American sports discussion. No one here cares about the cheeks Premier League

[@vincentseidle954]

@@jobebryant bad take

[@thefearmakerlive]

Lamelo Ball, in Charlotte, and Zion Williams in New Orleans are more recognizable than probably 5 football players for people under 30. Yes, they have at least 35 recognizable stars to anyone with a cursory interest in U.S. sports.

[@mikecely3610]

​@thefearmakerlive Most people have never heard of those guys. The NBA AT BEST has a handful of recognizable players to the general public. You yourself didn't even get Zion's last name correct, LOL. The modern NBA doesn't have any likeable players or stars that the general public will gravitate to. The glory days of the 1980s and 90s are long gone.

[@chrismcclain1970]

This is great 👍🏾 I need this, bring me back to my childhood, love it

[@derekmurrey9655]

I blame media coverage for the nba’s woes

[@damonburrow4601]

Really well done. Thanks for this

[@88smjls]

So he completely ignores LeBron’s toxic effect on the NBA. The Decision was really about compromising the competitiveness of the league.

[@iTuber012]

They always do... Caught up in stats

[@Riles3152]

FACTS! Lebron as the FACE of the league, is going to leave the game in worse condition than he came into it. TBH Bron can't get out of the league fast enough!

[@ryan011110]

Lebron going to Miami has nothing to do with this. Typical bron haters. I guess he should have stayed in Cleveland where his robin was Mo Williams 😂 Jordan had pippen and Rodman Kobe had shaq and Gasol

[@ixlness]

Needed this history lesson to get through work today. Thanks Bill!

[@patwalsh1045]

quite the revisionist retelling of the nba here with bill saying the 2000s were "grim" after saying the league had tim duncan, dirk, kg, shaq/kobe, lebron, dwayne wade

[@drewbreezy5854]

The 2000s was my favorite time to watch. Still tough ish. But players idolized MJ, so a lot of skill started to be introduced. Now it's kinda based on percentages and analytics...how the game is played in general.

[@salleone7649]

At the time (and this was when Bill was in his prime as a columnist), Bill was implicitly and sometimes openly hyping the league as better than MLB and NHL; now I think it was just to counter heavy mainstream narrative regarding the Pistons defense "killing the game".

[@charlesmcgovern2395]

@@salleone7649 Maybe I'm a weirdo but I liked the Pistons/Spurs years.

[@coloneldusty4476]

That’s because Bill doesn’t like the post game - unless it’s Bird or Mchale down there.

[@alexvergeldedios]

Love or hate him but Bill Simmons is full blooded NBA/sports geek. Thank you for the history

[@RCRadioShow]

I am sure it was just a coincidence that nearly everyone of Bill's NBA "Unicorn Moments" just happened to be a Celtics championship?

[@fortynights1513]

They just won one and he didn’t call this a unicorn moment

[@kendallkhoward]

I’ve asked Adam Silver directly how can ESPN and others do a better job at promoting the younger players in the league because LeBron, Curry and KD won’t be here long. What he told me was that it’s up to the players to take that next step to grab the mantle, but I would argue that the media around the league needs to do a better job at supporting these other stars and small market teams

[@burmajones803]

Aw. Bucks win so Bill can't come up with fake trades for Giannis or Dame, so he doesn't even talk about the game. How about this being the problem: NBA media sucks. They talk too much about trades, Lebron, Steph, the Celtics, Embiid. They only watch their pet teams and when they talk about the league's so-called not-haves, all they have to offer are lame, ignorant hot takes that are really just things they heard their other NBA media buddies say.

[@charlesmcgovern2395]

It would be more forgivable if Bill had the balls to talk about LeBron (and his doping) properly. But he won't. Bill is access media like everyone else

[@greenwavefitness7545]

the 'escape against portland' also highlighted the officiating problem that has always plagued the league

[@anycoveryoulike7510]

This is one of the best pure history videos I've seen on the NBA. Execellent stuff Bill!

[@TheRealAmirkhan]

Hey Bill, this was awesome to listen to. Such a rich history of one of the greatest sports of all time.

[@DD-sr9xm]

Move the 3 point line further away? You have to get 3 point averages down so the math between 2s and 3s is more balanced.

[@fortynights1513]

Could eliminating corner threes work?

[@ProdbyPackTV]

This was really well done I learned a lot here, and maybe the transition we are in with the NBA is just natural. A lot of added context I didn’t know was in this video. This has to be the only video on YT that addresses the NBAs history with this angle. If there is another one I wanna see it lol

[@rc4415]

The NBAs core problem is that it is a highlight reel game that is made for short form tiktok, instagram and youtube videos in a world were they are trying to monetize attendance and long form game watching. The hypothetical 12 year old NBA fan isn't sitting down and watching full games, they are going on youtube the next day and watching the 5 minute recap, thats not going to change anytime soon.

[@Serbist]

Great point I wish more people mention. Viewership in almost everything is trending down outside of football. People’s entertainment is more personalized than ever before and there’s much less of an incentive to watch out of fear of missing out. Pre-social media to watch a guy like Jordan you had to watch live or at best check out sportscenter highlights (or if you had a weird friend who recorded games). That was it. If you missed it, you missed it. And if you did you missed huge cultural moments. Now you can miss anything and still see all the important moments whenever you want.

[@Ormanelle]

Does anyone know the sports executive hes talking about at the 7:40 mark? Trying to find more info about him but cant look him up!

[@jdankerdake]

I enjoyed the NBA Cup Final. Giannis played hard on both ends, stuffed the stat sheet, and had some huge blocks. Dame scored efficiently and his corner step-back three was probably the play of the game. Role players like AJ Green and Splash Mountain contributed… nice team win for Milwaukee. OKC showed their defensive tenacity. Besides the poor shooting from the Thunder, what wasn’t to like?

[@andymore62]

It was fun because players played with actual intensity. The problem is players only summon that energy for the playoffs and maybe a couple regular season games against rivals and most games end up looking like high level LA fitness runs- one teams runs down chucks up a 3, other team gives minimal defensive effort, etc. The thing is the games are played at too high of a pace/intensity to play that way for 82 games a year, but the players and owners don’t want to shorten the season because it would cost them money.

[@ThaProfetPR1]

This may be one of the best NBA videos I've ever seen.

[@jhan_drums]

Apron thing makes trading boring too

[@andymore62]

This doesn’t get talked about enough. The lack of intensity of too many 3’s thing has been an issue for like five years, but the league was still surviving on trade rumors/hype. Now we don’t even get that.

[@invincible0463]

One thing I like about bill simmons is his historical knowledge and ability to put it in simple form

[@quarkraven]

Apart from the next unicorn, here's how you fix the NBA: (1) move back the 3 point line enough to dis-incentivize the boring and absurd percentage of 3s taken (2) eliminate the "gather step" and call traveling consistently (3) provide fans with an affordable way to watch every game of *their home team* online, without cable (4) bring back hand checking [this won't happen, but replace this with some realistic defense-positive rule change] (5) shorten the season (6) loosen the trade restrictions on to-the-penny salary matching for capped teams (7) develop young US-based talent at least as well as France does (8) put Bronny James face on every single NBA jersey ever printed from now until the end of time one of these is a joke

[@raymondruiz7981]

Most of these are great recommendations that fans would get behind. If players wanted to compete against each other more and if the teams would stop jacking up 3s the 82 game season would be fine.

[@notmarealnameboi]

@@quarkraven Great points all...well almost all, lol. 1,2, and 4 are sorely needed! I hate the fucking gather step. I wish they would bring back offense fouls when running into a moving defender like in the 50s and 60s.

[@matteZ2109]

Unfortunately, #3 will never happen. It’s not just NBA, it’s all sports, and if one didn’t need a cable cord/$ streaming to watch their teams, big business would suffer. That “can’t” happen.

[@matteZ2109]

Unfortunately, #3 will never happen. It’s not just NBA, it’s all sports, and if one didn’t need a cable cord/$ streaming to watch their teams, big business would suffer. That “can’t” happen.

[@newmusicheaven]

Good shit Bill!!!!!! elite video

[@geechiedan68]

I think Ja Morant/Zion was supposed to be the next unicorn moment, but he got suspended and Zion can't stay in the court. Joker just doesn't resonate with fans the same was Duncan didn't. It's a shame OKC put us such a dud in the NBA cup, they are a fun team casuals could get into they could be the 'unicorn' team the way the warriors were Once ant gets traded to the Lakers that will allow him to break thru and carry the league

[@qcthesxientist]

a big part is also the cities they went to and how the media reacted to that. Even if zion was great he'd still be playing for the pelicans, they needed him on basically any other team. knicks, bulls, suns, cavs, hawks, mavs were all much better media wise than new orleans and memphis.

[@Riles3152]

@@qcthesxientist Yeah but it doesn’t matter where Zion would’ve been drafted to, wheather LA, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, etc. him and his notorious habits would have showed up there and most likely we would have had the same issues that he’s had here in New Orleans. It might’ve even been worse for him if he did get drafted by the Knicks, especially if he was struggling or the Knicks weren’t winning.

[@johnnyquest2651]

I love this breakdown. I've never been one to worry about an American star but I am getting older and I'm one that was a fan of the sport of physical basketball.

[@Spider-Complexion]

This point some people make over too many dominant foreign players or whatever is just… not good enough of a reason for somehow the ratings to go down imo and also just silly for us Americans to worry about. I think it’s a lot of things that have accumulated to what we have now. I’ll call out Harden for the way he took advantage of player empowerment just for one. The all star game also just represents what the game is now to the best players of the league and it’s just a disrespect to the legends of the past who built this and who gave it their all, with consideration of us fans too.

[@TheUltimateRage]

A lot of Americans are racist and xenophobic af. I know that can be difficult for some people to accept, but it's just a fact. Also, a lot of star players and key players are getting injured like crazy. As a Bulls fan, the past decade+ has been dark times for my Bulls as a result of injuries, and the same can be said for so many teams. That's why the all-star games have become trash, because players aren't trying to get injured playing hard. It's a sad fact of reality, but I can't blame 'em. That also bleeds into the player empowerment stuff, because to your point about James Harden, I see both sides of it. When Harden was on the Nets, the covid shutdown happened and Kyrie REFUSED to go to the bubble and REFUSED to get the shot, which pretty much sabotaged the team that year in 2020. The next year, the Nets were pretty much gonna win it all, but they got hit with the injury bug against the Bucks (and then the Big Toe happened). I can't blame Harden for wantin' to leave after that. Then there's that whole thing that happened with Daryl Morey, plus Sixers fans weren't too sad to see him go after his typical hot & cold performances in the playoffs. It's an unfortunate part of sports. There are so many factors that affect various aspects of the game, including unforeseen events and unintended consequences of rules changes and whatnot, so it's difficult to find a balance that pleases everyone and allows the league to continue to profit.

[@gators9570]

Player empowerment really has hurt the product overall. Sure, guys making insane trade requests and massive stars getting moved every single season draws up talk of the NBA on social media and all that, but it’s slowly killing fandom. Your “team” changes so rapidly, it’s insane, while the organizations are forced to bet everything in their 3-4 year future on 1-2 guys who make like half the money on the team. It’s busted

[@BrooksOrlando]

Few reasons why. Excusable one for NBA is they have a younger fanbase who are just following it thru social media vs watching full games. It’s deeper than that though. Silver has done everything possible to devalue reg season. Literally over 60% of the teams make the playoffs. You have senseless in-season tournaments. I think also too not having enough domestic stars is a problem. You got Edwards and Tatum. But as a whole, it’s not even close. Last gen of LeBron, KD, Steph, Harden, Russ…they were relatable for the average consumer. Jokic is great, but he’s not.

[@JK-mh8ol]

The fact that you said I'm not touching that one, kind of proves it is a legitimate problem. Lol

[@delmasmorrow3429]

define woke

[@JK-mh8ol]

@delmasmorrow3429 for what purpose?

[@ryanblosser6081]

Because people want to know what it means?

[@JK-mh8ol]

@@ryanblosser6081 what people?

[@ryanblosser6081]

​@@JK-mh8olanyone. Educate us on what "woke" means

[@Reneblade]

Thank you for a clear levelheaded take Bill.

[@dameistersports1925]

Bill is so out of touch that it’s scary. I’ve noticed that, ever since he made the big bucks by selling The Ringer, his takes have become wackier and ludicrous. For a guy who kept saying that Eddie Murphy stopped being funny when he lost touch with the everyday man, it’s funny that Bill doesn’t realize the same thing has happened to him. The NBA is awful and he keeps making stuff up to try to convince himself that it’s great, even when everyone’s telling him that it sucks.

[@AlfredoEClark]

@@dameistersports1925 Great take, dude. I’ve followed Bill since his days as a columnist on ESPN’s Page 2. Used to love the guy, but now he has started to sound more and more like present-day Howard Stern.

[@dameistersports1925]

@JamesWill-t8p The video literally starts off with him saying that the NBA is doing just fine because they signed a multi-billion TV deal, did you not watch it? Also, in previous videos, he's made the comparison with the 1990's and 2000's, stating that the league back then was bad and that it's great now. In addition to all that, in this video he said that the 2010's were not good. Stop being a fanboy and actually pay attention to what your idol's saying in the videos before you come hating on those of us who really do watch them and care about what's being said. I used to love the NBA and it bothers me that those who are profiting from it now (such as Simmons himself) don't give a crap about how the product has diminished just because it makes money.

[@dameistersports1925]

@JamesWill-t8p Yeah, right. I'm gonna be AI messing with you when I'm quoting Simmons' theory about why Eddie Murphy stopped being funny. It proves that I've followed him for a long time (not a recent fanboy like you) and I really dislike what he's become now, which is an apologist for a league that no longer cares about its hardcore fans. And, since he became a millionaire with his Ringer deal, he's had this know-it-all attitude that doesn't allow him to get in touch with what's really happening.

[@Riles3152]

Dang, I’ve been following Bill Simmons career and reading his work for over 15 years, and I actually think you’re right 😂 Bill used to be a voice for the common sports fan, and now it seems like he’s become somewhat of a shill for the corporate entities that he covers smh ironically, it seemed like he was more of an independent voice when he was working FOR ESPN, then when he actually left and started the ringer.

[@codycronin3229]

We love Bill for takes like this.

[@ptyten9718]

We need to talk about how some ppl were hyping Jalen Williams to be a superstar yet he underperforms in damn near every big game 🤷🏾

[@Chudsic]

thunder are all fluff, 2 great players shai and chet and a bunch of avg overhyped guys . reminds me of the grizz a few years back

[@TashaOneal-z3p]

@@Chudsic y'all are the problem OKC lost so what

[@gators9570]

He’s a 3rd year player, he’s extremely good

[@drewbreezy5854]

Him and hardenstein were the only 2 players for okc that played well all game.

[@nycedyme4]

@@Chudsicthinking Chet is great is hilarious

[@tipsnstreams]

Basketball is an amazing game, no doubt about it, but if you're chasing "basketball perfection" or some kind of untouchable greatness, maybe you're looking in the wrong place-hoops have always been about the collective grind, not individual glory. For me, the NBA has been pure magic for over four decades. Every era, every style, every evolution-I've loved it all, just the way it’s been, flaws and all.

[@victorquinones3086]

As much as I love Bill "The Writer", probably my favorite sports writer ever. Not so fond of Bill the Podcaster, specially in times like this. I loved his Book of Basketball, and if he can't tell that this time around is different than the previous "The NBA is in trouble" moments, then he's losing his fastball. This seems to me like a commentary to shut other people from noticing a trend, maybe paid by Adam Silver himself. For context: what is today's league problem? When in other times was due to non-related basketball stuff, this time around is the product itself. And it has been like this for the past 3 years. If players don't care about the regular season, if they are worried about their "brands" instead of the product. If there ZERO competition. And yes, I prefer ugly post ups than people passing on layups to shoot from the three point line. The league is in trouble, and soon, even people talking positive things about the sport will diminish noticeably. Oh, and BTW, this is a common occurrence not only in the NBA, but also in the entertainment industry as a whole: Film, Music and Arts too. Oh, and the only league in the US that hasn't been affected is the NFL, why could it be? Because it is the most masculine sport, this side of another thriving industry, the UFC.

[@Kodreanu23]

similar thoughts here. A history review doesn't help address the issue. Plus, he is afraid to talk about the political polarization that NBA also has, unlike other pro sports.

[@CableY3K]

Easiest problem in the world to fix.....bring back hand checking and allowing the defender to bump the offensive player like back in the day. Remember "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"? Yeah.....they tried to fix it.

[@Serbist]

@@CableY3K I think they should bring back hand checking but it’s also true that tv ratings declined before they changed the rules to remove it in the early 2000s (when scoring was historically low). I feel like true basketball fans want it but casual fans really don’t care about rule tweaks: they want can’t-miss American superstars competing in the finals every year.

[@Irfanhill]

"The NBA Needs Its Next “Unicorn” Moment" Man, Wemby was a rookie last year, and you don't get more unicorn than him. Do we really expect a revolution of basketball every year?!

[@willlydon1863]

@@Irfanhill yeah I have absolutely no idea with the caption on this one I’m lost as well lol. There has NEVER been a prospect like wembanyama I have no idea what kind of unicorn we’re expecting here😂do we need a guy who’s 7 foot 7 now?

[@gators9570]

In this scenario he’s talking about dynasties that draw extra attention or particularly good series that become classics. Which is fair. The last intense finals that actually went to 7 games was 2016. That’s insane. And teams are seemingly only capable of going one year at a time making the finals. So no true dynasties

[@willlydon1863]

@@gators9570 I mean yeah but I’ve been bringing up this question for a couple years as well. What would be better for the league? Seeing Tatum, Giannis, Jokic, booker/ja/etc get their first rings respectfully or do you think it would be better for just one of those players to win a few in a row? Genuine question because I’m torn on it 100%. I’d love to see a rivalry and another dynasty but at the same time it’s fun to let different teams have their deserved glory

[@ElBrillante4]

@@willlydon1863it’s cuz he’s not American. Bill beats around the bush about it but doesn’t admit to it himself

[@docd2295]

I’m watching this instead of games. Case in point

[@alanzogarcia2074]

⚡️Giannis 👑

[@ryanriego2473]

How can you forget the 92 dream team unicorn moment that opened the floodgates for international players to dominate in todays game.

[@riccardoferrazzo8283]

All Star Game sucks. Regular season is boring and key players are systematically out. In the playoffs 30% of the games are blow outs because of 3 points shots. The game totally like physicality and every game is kinda the same, with very small stylistic variations. I think NBA will need a complete reset.

[@ptyten9718]

All this talk about "stylistic variation" (which is mostly false cause teams from the same era usually play the same and have similar shot profiles) don't compare to the real issue, which is the lack of american superstars and the constant injuries.

[@deepvoicedude4749]

All star game always sucked, you only liked it when you a kid because you didn’t know any better.

[@nocturne311]

@@deepvoicedude4749No, that’s not true. The All-Star games from 1984-2004 were much more competitive than the ones we have seen in the last 20 years. Guys actually played defense and didn’t just shoot threes and go for wide open dunks in transition. Guys actually fouled opposing players but they didn’t foul as hard as they would during a regular game.

[@harveycminusmansfiel]

Get rid of the 3 point shot and make all shots equal. The NFL shows courage to change things up to make its product better. Sports are a show. And NBA content is boring.

[@chrisuncleahmad789]

Because the days of 88-72 blowouts weren't boring? It got so bad that the All Star Game was the only time all year I didn't have to see nothing but boring defense brickfests

[@opieg7333]

1) As someone that remembers the days of watching tape delayed games, it was scary how often you caught up with my thoughts on the NBA in this piece. All the way down to the WWE analogy. The NBA more than any other league cultivates those story-lines, much like the WWE. That aspect is critical to the casual fan, so even if you are a deep hoop head, don't hate on that aspect, because its a big part of why you get to watch every game live and can go back and watch any game later if you want to. Those casual fans bring the money needed to support the game. 2) Once you have been around long enough, you see the redundancy. As each generation of players progress toward the end, the state of the league questions come up. To me it was at its worst after Jordan retired. But, the redundancy gets comical. There is a star cycle for NBA Players that goes something like - talented but doesn't know how to be a true team player -> Ok he is good but he is not clutch and can't lead his team to a chip -> He is the man and greatness watch is on, as the check list of achievements rack up -> Oh no you are wasting the end of his prime -> He will be done soon and who's next/GOAT conversations with the obligatory - if he could just win one more, etc excuse for MJ being better -> broadcast both/pitchman/ESPN 30 for 30 subject. 3) Ja Morant blew it. He was on deck and Ownership/League failed to intervene quickly to save him from himself AND save the league. As the kids say, he fumbled the bag and it will cost him a good billion dollars over his life, no exaggeration. They had him lined up to play a modern AI type character - reckless American abandon going straight at the chest of these foreign big men. Making it OK for your suburban kids to do all the new hood dances. Ant is nice, but just doesn't seem to connect across that broad of a spectrum. 4) That international money is huge and growing - do not thing that the way the Olympics played out was not orchestrated to some degree by the NBA. And do not think that the heavy use of the big three was not a dictate from the corporate office to take advantage of the huge marketing opportunity presented by having a roster of foreign stars sprinkled around and dominating the league. Best believe if they could find a Chinese or Indian star they would also push them to the fore to better capitalize on those markets. (And best believe the NBA is out there trying to make that star - probably still apologizing for Morray on every PR junket to China). The US market has peaked, and the NBA knows it.

[@posmoo9790]

NBA is utterly unwatachble - literally half of NBA fans that existed 3 years ago told you your sport sucks. That has not actually happened before even though Bill claims it happens eveyr decade. And the biggest booster of the sport pretending that because franchise values are going up in an incredibly inflationary enviorment (40% in 4 years) that things are good is utterly ridiculous.

[@toineshootsairballs]

The sport doesn’t suck, the league does.

[@irv.everywhere]

This is the one. I started watching the leaugue in 03, I needed the additionalcontext