Podbit · The Bill Simmons Podcast
Kawhi Leonard has played just 11 playoff games in five years, hasn't won a series since May 2021, and lost the first play-in game last year at home. The idea that he's the missing piece for Toronto runs on pure sports amnesia.
Where this was said
At 1:29:40 · chapter starts 1:22:21
The Kawhi Leonard return to Toronto is presented as a masterpiece of collective sports amnesia. Bill Simmons methodically catalogs Kawhi's playoff record since his Clippers tenure: bubble loss in round 2, 2021 West Finals breakdown, 2022 hurt, 2023 round 1 exit in 5, 2024 round 1 exit in 6 playing 2 games, 2025 round 2 loss in 7, 2026 play-in loss at home. [1] — Bill Simmons "Kawhi Leonard has played just 11 playoff games in five years, hasn't won a series since May 2021, and lost the first play-in game last year…" 1:29:40 Kirk Goldsberry adds the analytical dimension: while Kawhi always looks elite in estimated plus-minus, the models systematically fail to account for durability as a skill. The man plays fewer games, looks better per-possession, but simply doesn't show up when it counts. Chris Ryan's closing observation is the sharpest: the Clippers have spiritually returned to the pre-Lob City era, with Darius Garland and Brandon Ingram as their centerpiece.
Kawhi Leonard played only 11 playoff games in the five years from 2022–2026, winning zero playoff series since May 2021, undermining the narrative that he's a difference-maker for Toronto.
Thomas's wife deferred her CrossFit career — she's in the global top 1% of athletes — to put him through law school debt-free. He wants her to chase the dream now; she wants the emergency fund and house down payment first. On a $200K lawyer income with no debt, the opportunity cost is just a few months of slower saving.
Underground calisthenics battles are exactly like UFC meets a rap battle — 150 people crowded around a circle, fighters walking out with masks and chains, nicknames like 'Extra Money' vs 'Calisthenics the Prince,' and people throwing money and betting. The battle set: 100 burpees, 50 muscle-ups, 75 dips, 75 squats with a 65-pound dumbbell. This is the next big spectator sport.
Rico Verhoeven controlled the undisputed heavyweight boxing champion for approximately 10 rounds — and had his appeal upheld when officials admitted the fight was stopped after the bell. The result was never overturned. Rogan calls it either incompetence or corruption, and argues the money behind Usyk made an upset politically inconvenient.
Rogan lays out a blunt case: boxing's 3-judge system is structurally broken, and the judges know who the promoter wants to win. Glory's 5-judge format is the right model. Corruption doesn't have to be conscious — just knowing Usyk is the cash cow is enough to tilt the scales.
With the Usyk-Wilder fight stalling and Fury-Joshua coming too late, the real fight the world wants is the rematch. Rico is a free agent. Usyk vacated his belts. The story is unfinished and both Rogan and Rico know it. His Excellency Turki Alasheikh already called for it ringside — the question is money.
Rico texted Jason Statham during the Canelo-Crawford fight. Statham showed Rico's highlight videos to promoters. Two days later, Rico was on a call about fighting Anthony Joshua. When Joshua pulled out, Rico pitched Usyk himself — Undisputed vs. Undisputed. Usyk said yes in two weeks. The whole thing started with one text.
Every heavyweight who faced Usyk tried to move to the right — straight into his power hand. Rico and Peter Fury identified the obvious solution: move left, away from the left hand, and smother him with size. It sounds simple. Nobody had done it. That one adjustment was the foundation of 10 dominant rounds.
MMA fans boo when fights go to the ground. They love stand-up. Kickboxing is pure stand-up. Yet it barely exists in America while boxing and MMA are enormous. Rogan's diagnosis: no promotion machine. If the UFC got behind kickboxing the way they've built MMA, it would explode. The talent is there — the storytelling machine is not.
A nation of 17 million people gave the world Ramon Deckers, Peter Aerts, Badr Hari, Melvin Manhoef, Rob Kamen, Ernesto Hoost, and Rico Verhoeven. Rico's theory: the country is so small that every gym shares knowledge freely. In the US, you need a flight. In Holland, you drive 40 minutes and spar the national champion.
We use essential and analytics cookies to run Vuci. To understand how the site is used: Privacy Policy.
Install Vuci on your phone
Add it to your home screen for a faster, app-like experience.
Install Vuci on your phone
Tap the Share button, then “Add to Home Screen”.
A new version is available
Reload to get the latest Vuci.