Longtime fans of the wildly popular, sometimes controversial sports guy will find a new wrinkle in his magnum opusan. Playing off the nbas dramatic changes during the past decade, bill uses new commentary and fresh interviews with players and top media members to determine how the league. Where does scottie pippen rank on bill simmonss hall of. Torontos future, round 3 thoughts with joe house, and celtics coowner wyc grousbeck by bill simmons and joe house may 11, 2018, 3. Bill simmons, the wildly opinionated and thoroughly entertaining basketball addict known to millions as espns the sports guy, has written the definitive book on the past, present, and future of the nba. Levels one through four, then the pantheon the best of the best. Simmons first gained attention with his website as the boston sports guy and was recruited by espn in 2001, where he eventually operated the website grantland and. In the middle of a punishing book tour, simmons took an hour to talk to the a. If you would like to submit to the guide, please comment on the post and it will be added with an attribution. Books cant be measured that way they hit everyone differently, so when were evaluating them, we can only say, you cant mention the greatest books. Third, while there is some structure to the book, most notably in the ranking of the 96 not an arbitrarily chosen number, by the way greatest players of time, there are several sections that are just there so simmons can write detailed chapters expounding on his basketball thoughts whatifs, building a perfect team, etc. William john simmons iii born september 25, 1969 is an american sports analyst, author, podcaster, and former sports writer who is the founder and ceo of the sports and pop culture website the ringer. The book of basketball is a 700page work of hoops genius that would make dr. I usually get through 4 or 5 pyramid players before xonking out.
Club about the rancid state of sports talk radio, the current nba referee scandal, why bill russell is a better. Test your knowledge on this sports quiz to see how you do and compare your score to others. Dwight howard, the best center that never was in 2008, dwight howard was destined to become the nbas next great center, but in the years since he. James hardens career is one big whatif bill simmonss. When i released the paperback edition of the book of basketball in 2009, i ranked scottie pippen 24th all time as a level four hall of fame pyramid guy. Here you will find links to videos, articles, and more discussed in the book. Lebrons pyramid rise and torontos future the ringer. Obama demands bill simmons update his book of basketball. As one who personally witnessed pro basketball s earliest days, i wish this young cub had paid closer attention to detail before claiming the mantle of ultimate authority.
When it came out he did a book tour, and i got my copy signed at his stop at the borders in manhattan that used to be right next to msg. So, im about 300 pages into the bb its the book of basketball for the first time. In an exclusive excerpt from the paperback version of the book of basketball, bill simmons wonders what would have happened if portland had drafted kevin durant. Best player of all time king james or the black mamba page 5. Foreword by malcolm gladwell newly updated with fresh takes o. Stephen curry is a twotime mvp, threetime nba champion, and has revolutionized an entire generation of basketball. Superb when simmons doesnt let himself got lost in pop culture references. The book of basketball by bill simmons should be considered the bible for basketball fans everywhere, and its crown jewel is the pyramid, simmonss idea for a new basketball hall of fame and his ranking of the 96 best players in basketball history. Bill simmonss new podcast breaks down the nbas most important. The line was so long i was able to get through the first couple of chapters while waiting. As selected by bill simmons in the book of basketball 2010.
Lets kick this thing off with bill simmons idea for the basketball hall of fame the pyramid, he calls it. Its the best part, the thesis, the thrust of the book. In bill simmons the book of basketball, he undertakes the formidable task of identifying the top 96 professional basketball players of all time and ranking. Now simmons has written the book of basketball, a 700page best seller about his favorite sport that showcases the strengths and, alas, the fundamental weakness.
Levels one through four, then the pantheon the best of the best at the very top. This page is a fans unofficial interactive companion to bill simmons s the book of basketball. Isnt the whole point of something like the pyramid the fact that you can look at it and get a visual sense of the rankings. Bill totally embodies a style of writing i find sexy in his book. Im curious, now that its been about five years since the last edition of the list was compiled, who do you think has marked a. Published in 2009, it covers the history of the national basketball association nba. Bill walton is ranked 27th with two mvp caliber years maybe more accurately 1. Dirk nowitzki is a top20 player of all time bill simmonss book of.
And where does he rank on bills 100player hall of fame pyramid. Where does scottie pippen rank on bill simmonss hall of fame. When i released the paperback edition of the book of basketball in 2009. I believe michael jordan is the greatest basketball player ever, and i can prove it. The nba according to the sports guy ebook written by bill simmons. In a book of grand scope, bill simmons purports to resolve most of basketball s historic armchair controversies. Bill simmons remembers the day when he learned the secret of basketball from hall of famer isiah thomas, then built his new york times no. Obama is referring to simmons s 2009 best seller about the nba, the book of basketball, which simmons has long promised to update. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the book of basketball. The heart of the book over 400 pages is what simmons calls the hall of fame pyramid his idiosyncratic ranking and analysis of the 96 greatest players in nba history, from tom chambers to.
Author bill simmons, best known as s the sports guy, explores the nba with hilarious insight, brilliant analysis, and a bevy of irreverent footnotes. Vulture reading room the book of basketball, by bill. How espns sports guy found salvation, with a little help from nomar, pedro, shawshank, and the 2004 red sox, 2005 strives to write the definitive nba retrospective. Basketball quiz, bill, bill simmons, player, pyramid, simmon. Simmons s oneofakind fivelevel shrine to the ninetysix greatest players in the history of pro. Dirk nowitzki and the pyramid with marc stein bill is joined by marc stein of the new york times to discuss the legendary mavs big man and more by bill simmons dec. The meat of this book is the pyramid, a ranking of the nba greats. I believe the breaks of the game is the greatest sports book ever, but i cant prove it. How to build a pyramid lets kick this thing off with bill simmons idea for the basketball hall of fame the pyramid, he calls it. In 2019, simmons launched a sequel podcast series, book of basketball 2.
Reggie miller and the pyramid with shea serrano book. The ninetysix greatest basketball players of all time, arranged into five tiers. Bill simmons s new podcast breaks down the nbas most important games, players, and teams, extending and reinventing his new york times no. Basketball, bill simmons hall of fame basketball pyramid all time. If we are trying to be consistent with simmons i think curry has a case to be around top 25 for the magnitude of the three year run he just had alone. Bill simmons explores the modern nba in book of basketball 2. But for the life of me i cannot figure out why he ordered the chapters in the manner that he did. Pippen 24th all time as a level four hall of fame pyramid guy. The nba according to the sports guy is the second book by former espn columnist bill simmons. Im sure most of you are familiar with the big book of basketball, and the second half which is dedicated entirely to the pyramid, the ranking of the 96 greatest players in nba history. The book of basketball quotes showing 110 of 10 if you dont agree with me, i have two words for you. The book of basketball is what really got me into him.
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