The Bill Simmons Podcast

Snapshot · The Bill Simmons Podcast

Part 1: USA’s World Cup Collapse, Basebrawls, Jets Optimism, Life in The G-League and ‘The OC’ 20 Years Later | with Gabe York and Zoe Simmons

Explore episode Aug 7, 2023

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Gabe York Interview

At 1:03:19 · 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. He shot 40% from three on 11 attempts last season. 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. 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.

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