Podbit · The Bill Simmons Podcast
G-League guard Gabe York has been one of the best offensive players in the league, shoots 40% from three, and has a 40-inch vertical at age 30 — and he still has no NBA offers. His story is the rawest account of what it means to fight for a dream that keeps slipping just out of reach.
Where this was said
At 51:00 · chapter starts 45:15
Bill introduces Gabe York with genuine warmth — he's been watching the documentary cuts and thinks York is the player who will make viewers reach for their phones to Google his name. York explains he was never originally planned as a documentary subject; a filmmaker approached him before warmups and was won over after a 10-minute conversation. The interview opens out into something much richer: York turning 30 the day before the recording, entering his 9th professional year without a guaranteed NBA spot despite being one of the G League's best offensive players [1] — Gabe York "G-League guard Gabe York has been one of the best offensive players in the league, shoots 40% from three, and has a 40-inch vertical at age…" 51:00 . He shot 40% from three on 11 attempts last season [2] — Gabe York "Gabe York: 40% from 3 in G League: Gabe York shot 40% from three-point range on 11 attempts per game in the G League last season, yet remai…" 1:01:07 . His peak vertical was 43 inches at Arizona — he still jumps 40. His Slam Magazine top-10 all-time high school mixtape made him a prospect with enormous hype before a family-friend agent — someone he'd known since age 14 — apparently failed to return calls from interested teams for months [3] — Gabe York "G League: more NBA visibility than overseas: Gabe York averaged 16-17 points per game overseas for 2-3 consecutive seasons with zero NBA in…" 58:15 . The conversation is emotionally honest: York admits the 'why not me?' questions creep in even when he's mentally trained himself to stop asking them, and Bill responds by comparing his own 'should I quit?' crisis at 30 to York's current moment. The G League vs. overseas debate is resolved cleanly: three seasons averaging 16-17 points overseas produced zero NBA invitations; two G League seasons produced two two-way contracts and summer league spots because NBA executives simply don't watch overseas leagues.
Gabe York is entering his 9th professional season at age 30, having never received a guaranteed NBA roster spot despite consistent elite G League performance.
Gabe York averaged 16-17 points overseas for three consecutive seasons and never got a training camp call. He joined the G League and landed two two-way contracts and summer league invites. The message is clear: if you want the NBA, stay where they can see you.
Gabe York averaged 16-17 points per game overseas for 2-3 consecutive seasons with zero NBA invites; switching to the G League yielded two two-way contracts and summer league invites.
Gabe York's path to the NBA was derailed partly by an agent who was also a family friend — one who had big-name clients and allegedly went months without returning calls from interested teams. It's a cautionary tale about loyalty in a business that can't afford sentiment.
Gabe York shot 40% from three-point range on 11 attempts per game in the G League last season, yet remained unsigned by an NBA team.
Heat culture isn't mystical — Miami finds players who fell through the cracks, who carry chips on their shoulders and refuse to waste an opportunity. Bill Simmons argues this formula should be obvious to every GM, yet most teams still chase projects and upside over proven hunger.
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.