Explaining the 2024 NBA Draft's Bad Rap

Fans don’t just want their teams to win anymore — they want the sport itself to be flawless: perfect coaching, perfect officiating, perfect behavior, perfect “fairness,” perfect outcomes. In this episode of On The Ball, Ric Bucher explains why that expectation is a fantasy… and w ... Show More

NBA All-Star Weekend was this close to being declared dead—until Victor Wembanyama flipped the entire vibe, shamed everybody into competing, and turned a “jumped-the-shark” event into must-watch hoops. On this episode of On The Ball, Ric Bucher breaks down why the All-Star turnar ... Show More

Is NBA tanking really ruining basketball — or is the outrage just noise?In this solo episode of On The Ball with Ric Bucher, Ric dismantles the modern hysteria around tanking and explains why what fans think is a crisis is actually a decades-old strategy baked into the league’s b ... Show More

Russillo rants about a recent encounter on an outdoor basketball court, before sharing his thoughts on the narrative that the Dolphins may look to move on from rookie QB Tua Tagovailoa depending on their 2021 draft position (2:30). Then, Ryen talks with top NBA draft prospect RJ ... Show More

The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Ryen Russillo to discuss bringing back sports and strategies for navigating the workplace. Then they sift through the worst NBA GM jobs. Finally, they revisit Game 3 of the 1991 Finals, Bulls vs. Lakers. Learn more about your ad choi ... Show More

Verno and KOC open the show by discussing Thursday's NBA Finals rematch between the Warriors and Celtics (01:16), which they agree had a playoff-like atmosphere. While discussing the game in Paris between the Bulls and Pistons, the guys talk about how the NBA has been promoting t ... Show More

The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by Ryen Russillo to discuss Episodes 3 and 4 of ESPN’s documentary series ‘The Last Dance’ (2:53) before talking about the NFL draft (32:00), the logistics behind bringing back the NBA (1:03:25), and Game 4 of the 1993 NBA Finals between the Ch ... Show More

With the Finals now behind us, Verno and KOC dive fully into the offseason, starting off with the Lakers' hiring of JJ Redick as their next head coach (02:34) and the Pistons’ firing of Monty Williams (23:44). Next, the guys discuss the surprising trade between the Thunder and Bu ... Show More

With the NBA draft this week, Verno and KOC dive into the latest draft news, including the uncertainty around the Hawks and the top overall pick and why people are suddenly high on prospect Zaccharie Risacher (01:48). As the conversation continues for who should be the top overal ... Show More

The Ringer's Bill Simmons talks about the concerns some players are having about the return of the NBA, and some of the parallels to 1968 (1:55). Then Bill and Ryen Russillo revisit the 2007 NBA draft and discuss some of its subplots, draft comedy, and NBA legends before redrafti ... Show More

The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Ryen Russillo and 2020 NBA champion Jared Dudley to discuss the Lakers' title win, how it felt to leave the NBA bubble, LeBron stories, appreciating Rajon Rondo, the anticlimactic Battle for L.A., young NBA talent, and more. Then Bill and Ry ... Show More

The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Kevin O'Connor to discuss the proposed World Cup–like group stage format for the NBA playoffs, potentially eliminating conferences, how to maintain the integrity of the NBA regular season, exciting matchups, and more (2:15). Then Bill and Jo ... Show More

Verno and KOC recap the 2024 NBA draft, as they discuss picks they liked, picks they disliked, surprises, and more! They start off by discussing Zach Edey’s fit with the Grizzlies, the one big difference maker for Ron Holland’s development with the Pistons, and the importance of ... Show More