Podbit · The Bill Simmons Podcast
In 2018, the Lakers called San Antonio asking for Kawhi Leonard. Pop said no. The Spurs also never cut Tony Parker to save cap space. That's how they stayed elite through the early 2010s and won the 2014 title. Boston just did the opposite.
Where this was said
At 1:33:40 · chapter starts 1:32:29
With LeBron James now free, the conversation becomes gleefully speculative. Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan run through the realistic landing spots: Golden State for the Curry farewell tour, Denver for the Jokic pairing, Cleveland for the full-circle narrative, San Antonio for the winning bet. But the most intriguing theory is Simmons' Roger Clemens play: [1] — Bill Simmons "LeBron James has 43,440 career points and every record there is to hold. What if he doesn't sign anywhere until January or February — watch…" 1:41:48 LeBron has 43,440 points and every record there is to own — what if he simply watches the league, stays in shape, and waits until January or February to sign with whoever looks best? Kirk Goldsberry loves the template, noting it could set a precedent for future aging stars like Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry. The panel agrees it would be the ultimate power move — maximizing both leverage and playoff health.
LeBron James has 43,440 career points and every record there is to hold. What if he doesn't sign anywhere until January or February — watching the league, staying in shape, and parachuting into the best situation available? It's the Roger Clemens move, and it might be his smartest play.
LeBron James has accumulated 43,440 career points along with numerous other all-time records, leading to discussion of whether the regular season still holds value for him.
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.
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