His new website, The Ringer, is off to a solid start.
#Bill boss blow tv
MORE: Ranking the 28 best TV game analysts in sports "It fails every year, and still people were like, 'Oh, can't do TV.' Well, nobody has ever been good on that show." "They've had 'Countdown' for 15 years, and it's never been good," Simmons told THR in June. I can't properly explain how fantastic it was to watch basketball with Magic for nine months.Īfter spending only two seasons on "NBA Countdown," Simmons rightly told The Hollywood Reporter he would not take responsibility for the show's perennial runner-up status to Charles Barkley's "Inside the NBA" pregame show on TNT.
Maybe this happens to people more often than I realize, and maybe it comes with the territory, but man. Someone planted a fake story to try to make me look bad, and there's a 99.3 percent chance it came from someone in Bristol (which presents its own set of concerns). MORE: These tips would have helped Simmons fix "Any Given Wednesday"įor his part, Simmons vehemently denied the rift with Johnson reported by Deadspin in an email interview with Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated: ESPN has split the difference, with Steele hosting "NBA Countdown" on Saturdays and Sundays, and Beadle hosting Wednesdays and Fridays. Simmons pushed hard for Michelle Beadle over Sage Steele, sources said. Simmons, meanwhile, was publicly fired by ESPN boss John Skipper in 2015. He's still licking his wounds after the cancellation of his critically-panned "Any Given Wednesday" by HBO.Īnother bone of contention between Simmons and ESPN producers on "NBA Countdown" was the choice of hosts. The press release below did not come with a middle finger to Bill Simmons. Johnson and Wilbon are back with "NBA Countdown." Now, his old colleagues are having the last laugh. MORE: Why did Simmons' HBO show go down in flames?Īt the time of Johnson's departure in 2013, Simmons influence was so great, he was considered a "shadow president" within ESPN, according to Deadspin's John Koblin. Simmons would only last one more year on NBA Countdown before bailing for the Grantland Basketball Hour, and eventually ESPN president John Skipper decided not to renew his contract. We reported at the time that Johnson’s sudden departure from the show was due to ESPN handing the keys over to Bill Simmons, and marginalizing Wilbon in the process. Johnson and Wilbon were both previously full-time analysts on NBA Countdown, serving for five and three years respectively, before leaving in 2013. Wrote Kevin Draper of Deadspin Monday night: But Simmons feuded with his "Countdown" colleagues, according to Deadspin, leading to Johnson's departure from "Countdown." Johnson and Wilbon are close friends who worked together on "Countdown" from 2011 to 2013. "Michael, Sage and I are going to have a lot of fun this season while we cover the greatest sport in the world," Johnson said in a statement.
ET) before the "NBA Saturday Primetime" game telecasts on ABC this season (8:30 p.m. Starting with ESPN's Christmas Day coverage, the former Lakers superstar will join Wilbon and anchor Sage Steele for the "NBA Countdown" pregame show (8 p.m. MORE: How sports personalities fared after leaving ESPN The shifting fortunes of the "Worldwide Leader in Sports" and its erstwhile columnist were on display again Monday as ESPN announced the return of Magic Johnson and Michael Wilbon to its "NBA Countdown" pregame show. Turns out Bill Simmons needed ESPN more than ESPN needed Bill Simmons.
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