

The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Ringer
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books

May 17, 2017 • 52min
NBA Draft Lottery Reaction With Mark Titus (Ep. 214)
HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Mark Titus to break down last night's draft lottery (02:00), if Markelle Fultz is definitely going to be a Celtic (11:30), what Lonzo Ball's draft declaration says about him (15:00), players who could be the second pick (28:00), and Malik Monk's stock (31:00). Then Titus shares stories about growing up with Gordon Hayward (36:00) and playing on the first team that Brad Stevens ever coached (38:00).
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May 16, 2017 • 1h 6min
Wizards Postmortem, the Conference Finals, and the NBA Draft Lottery With Joe House (Ep. 213)
HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Joe House to discuss Game 7 of Celtics-Wizards (02:00), John Wall's performance in the series (07:00), who Scott Brooks trusted (15:00), a rested LeBron in the Eastern Conference finals (30:00), James Harden and the regular-season MVP vote (34:00), the Western Conference finals without Kawhi Leonard (41:00), and Tuesday night's fascinating NBA draft lottery (49:30).
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May 12, 2017 • 1h 31min
Aziz Ansari on 'Master of None,' Hosting 'SNL,' and Kanye Studio Session Stories (Ep. 212)
HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Emmy Award–winning comedian Aziz Ansari to discuss shooting the second season of 'Master of None' in Italy (5:00), taking intense Italian lessons (15:00), directing modern Woody Allen moments (24:00), improvising scenes in auditions (29:30), hosting 'SNL' for the first time (33:00), stand-up at the Comedy Cellar (38:00), living outside the internet outrage cycle (43:00), working with Lorne Michaels (48:00), the untimely passing of Harris Wittels (53:45), shooting the 'Otis' video with Kanye and Jay Z (1:04:00), listening to Kanye albums before their release (1:08:00), Kanye and Jay's humorous side (1:12:00), the first time meeting Dave Chappelle (1:19:00), and the 'Girls' series finale internet controversy (1:25:00).
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May 10, 2017 • 1h 28min
Adam Carolla on 'Fast' 7/8, 'Cobra,' + 'Cast Away' (Ep. 211)
HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons celebrates 10 years of podcasting by bringing on 'B.S. Report' Hall of Famer Adam Carolla to discuss Sylvester Stallone's 1980s cop thriller 'Cobra' (9:00), the best '80s montages (14:00), the lifestyle of liking "bad movies" (28:00), Tom Hanks in 'Cast Away' (33:00), hanging out with Helen Hunt (39:00), the start of the 'Fast' franchise (44:00), the plot holes in 'Furious 7' (49:00), Vin Diesel's global lifestyle (1:02:00), Charlize Theron in 'Fate of the Furious' (1:11:00), and the perfect plot for the ninth 'Fast' movie (1:17:00).
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May 8, 2017 • 1h 14min
The New Era of Sports Media and the End of 'The Sports Reporters' (Ep. 210)
HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Wall Street Journal sports columnist Jason Gay and Ringer editor-at-large Bryan Curtis to discuss the end of ESPN's 'The Sports Reporters' (5:00), LaVar Ball's impact on Lonzo Ball's draft stock (15:00), ESPN's priorities in today's media landscape (24:00), ESPN's attachment to live sports (34:00), the future of ESPN2 (39:00), Adrian Wojnarowski's rivalry with ESPN (48:00), the ESPN news ticker (55:00), the value of good writing in any medium (1:02:00), and parting shots on The Players' Tribune (1:07:00).
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May 5, 2017 • 1h 23min
Michael Rapaport on NBA Awards, the Knicks, 'True Romance,' and Being Banned From ESPN (Ep. 209)
HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons brings on Michael Rapaport to discuss the uninspiring NBA playoffs (5:00), the upcoming 'NBA Awards' show (11:00), Kelly Olynyk's man bun (17:00), Phil Jackson's problems in New York (26:00), overhyping 'Hamilton' (33:30), Chris Paul's overrated status (38:00), Ty Lue complaining (41:00), reporter questions for Popovich and Belichick (44:00), LeBron's ability to avoid injury (49:00), A-Rod's stickman status (52:00), beefing with Dan Le Batard (1:02:00), and shooting 'True Romance' scenes with Christian Slater (1:13:00).
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May 3, 2017 • 1h 22min
'South Park,' Competing With 'SNL,' and the Future of Comedy With Matt Stone and Trey Parker
HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by 'South Park' cocreators Matt Stone and Trey Parker to discuss writing the show during the 2016 election (6:00), their show's similarities with 'SNL' (13:00), the NYT's 'Ghostbusters' review (19:00), the difference between humor and trolling (28:00), Bill Hader's increased involvement with the show (35:00), streaming 'South Park' (43:00), having creative free rein (47:00), the rivalry between Butters and Cartman (51:00), the sheer amount of powerful companies in the tech industry (55:00), beefing with Sean Penn (1:01:00), their desire to do another movie (1:06:00), and what's next on Season 21 of 'South Park.'
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May 1, 2017 • 1h 16min
Clippers Postmortem, Wiz-Celts, and Round 2 Intrigue With Joe House (Ep. 207)
HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons welcomes longtime friend of the show Joe House to discuss the CP3 era in L.A. (5:00), sign-and-trade options for Blake Griffin (18:00), reasons to reassemble the Clippers' core (21:00), Stockton-CP3 comparisons (29:00), Wizards-Celtics (32:00), Ian Mahinmi's struggles (38:00), Al Horford’s impact (44:00), the odds of a Warriors sweep (48:00), Gordon Hayward's free agency (52:00), Raptors-Cavs (58:00), Harden's sloppiness (1:04:00), Aldridge's future with the Spurs (1:08:00), and series predictions (1:12:00).
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Apr 28, 2017 • 1h 18min
NBA Predictions and NFL Draft Takes With Kevin O'Connor and Mike Lombardi (Ep. 206)
HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Kevin O'Connor to break down the somewhat-uneventful first round of the NBA playoffs (01:00), Game 6 for Chris Paul (05:30), Golden State's chance at sweeping the playoffs (11:30), what's wrong with James Harden (15:30), a must-win game for the Celtics against the Bulls (22:00), and the Raptors eliminating the Bucks (30:00). Then, Mike Lombardi joins the show to talk about Mitchell Trubisky and the Bears (41:00), the Panthers taking Christian McCaffrey (57:30), the Texans taking Deshaun Watson (60:00), and Al Davis's eating schedule (1:11:30).
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Apr 26, 2017 • 1h 35min
NFL Draft, NBA Playoffs, Boxing + Oakland With Cousin Sal and Andre Ward (Ep. 205)
HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons welcomes back Cousin Sal to discuss potential NFL draft prop bets (4:00), the backup QB conundrum (10:00), the Pats' sneaky-good picks (16:00), a potential Jimmy G draft-day trade (19:30), the Warriors' 16-0 potential (28:00), Edmonton's Stanley Cup odds (32:55), and betting on the writers' strike (36:00). Then, two-weight world champion boxer Andre Ward joins (40:10) to discuss his Olympic gold medal in Athens (45:00), 12 rounds vs. 15 rounds (51:00), fighting Sergey Kovalev (58:00), contemplating retirement in 2014 (1:04:00), the rematch with Kovalev (1:14:00), the best Bay Area athletes (1:17:00), his favorite legendary fights (1:21:00), and the Raiders' exit from Oakland (1:25:00).
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