Bill Simmons says a lot of things on his podcast, so it’s always easy to aggregate an interesting quote or scenario he ponders aloud.
But just know that if you misquote or attribute a quote from him without proper context, The Ringer boss will come for you.
Saturday night, the Yahoo Sports X account posted a graphic about Simmons’ commentary around the seismic news that LeBron James is joining the Philadelphia 76ers next season.
“Bill Simmons thinks there’s a chance that the 76ers could wind up like the 2012-13 Lakers,” read the caption. Underneath was a graphic that included a quote from a recent episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast.
“There’s 2012 Lakers potential where this looks awesome on paper,” said Simmons. “You have LeBron who’s 41. … Embiid, who never plays. And Jaylen Brown on a new team trying to fit his way. There’s an unhappy version of this.”
The 2012-2013 Lakers were infamous for acquiring Steve Nash and Dwight Howard and pairing them with Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Metta World Peace. While the hype was through the roof before the season, it was a disaster for Los Angeles, which finished 45–37 and lost in the first round of the playoffs.
It is technically true (the best kind of true) that Simmons said this on his podcast. However, it was part of a larger conversation about all the potential ways the 2026-2027 NBA season could play out for the new-look Sixers. On its own, the quote is salacious. But within the context of how it was said, it’s not quite the dagger that it’s presented as.
Simmons was sure to point that out in a quote of the post, in which he shredded Yahoo Sports over the piecemeal aggregation.
“This is bullsh*t — we went thru all the scenarios for how the Philly signing could play out on Friday’s pod good and bad,” wrote Simmons. “I thought Yahoo was trying to be a real place? Don’t you guys pay respectable writers and podcasters to do content? But you also do fake clickbait crap?”
This is bullshit — we went thru all the scenarios for how the Philly signing could play out on Friday’s pod good and bad. I thought Yahoo was trying to be a real place? Don’t you guys pay respectable writers and podcasters to do content? But you also do fake clickbait crap? https://t.co/mOzsHyOG6Z
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) July 27, 2026
Simmons has never been shy about calling out aggregation of his commentary when he feels it’s been taken out of context.
While we’re not trying to read too much into all of this, the dig about Yahoo’s content strategy does feel potentially pointed given that they poached Kevin O’Connor from The Ringer a few years back. If we know anything about The Sports Guy, it’s that he has been known to harbor a grudge or two and unleash some payback when called for.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.