History of Bill Simmons in Timeline
Bill Simmons is a prominent American sports writer, podcaster, and cultural commentator. He gained notoriety as "The Boston Sports Guy" before joining ESPN in 2001. During his time at ESPN, he wrote for ESPN.com, hosted "The B.S. Report" podcast, and served as an NBA analyst on "NBA Countdown". In 2015, he left ESPN and subsequently founded The Ringer, a sports and pop culture website, where he currently serves as CEO.
1 day ago : Kevin Durant Trade Scenarios Explored: Knicks' Involvement and Potential Deals Analyzed.
Bill Simmons discussed potential Kevin Durant trades, including scenarios involving the Knicks. Despite rumors, the Knicks are reportedly not in the mix. Rockets and other teams might be possibile KD destination before the draft.
1947: Birth of William Simmons Jr.
In 1947, William Simmons Jr., Bill Simmons' father, was born. He was the superintendent of schools in Easton, Massachusetts, for more than 15 years.
September 25, 1969: Birth of Bill Simmons
On September 25, 1969, William John Simmons III, now known as Bill Simmons, was born. He would grow to become a prominent podcaster, sportswriter, and cultural critic.
1988: Attends Choate Rosemary Hall
In 1988, Bill Simmons completed a postgraduate year at Choate Rosemary Hall, a prep school located in Wallingford, Connecticut.
1992: Graduates from College of the Holy Cross
In 1992, Bill Simmons graduated from the College of the Holy Cross with a B.A. in political science.
1997: Starts the web site BostonSportsGuy.com
In 1997, Bill Simmons started the website BostonSportsGuy.com while working as a bartender and waiter at night after being unable to get a newspaper job. He also began writing a column for Digital City Boston of AOL.
November 1998: Website Available on the Web
In November 1998, Bill Simmons' website, "Boston Sports Guy", became available on the web. Prior to this, the column was only available on AOL, and Simmons forwarded the column to his friends.
2001: Website's Popularity in 2001
By 2001, Bill Simmons' website averaged 10,000 readers and 45,000 hits per day.
November 16, 2002: Moves to California
On November 16, 2002, Bill Simmons left Boston and moved to California to work for Jimmy Kimmel Live!.
2002: Starts Writing for ESPN The Magazine
In 2002, Bill Simmons began writing a bi-weekly 800-word column for ESPN The Magazine.
2002: Joins Jimmy Kimmel Live! as Writer
In the summer of 2002, Jimmy Kimmel convinced Bill Simmons to write for his new late-night talk show, which premiered after Super Bowl XXXVII.
April 2003: Starts Working on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
In April 2003, Bill Simmons began working as a comedy writer for Jimmy Kimmel Live!.
2004: Online Cartoon Debacle
In late 2004, ESPN launched an online cartoon based on Bill Simmons' columns, which Simmons later called a "debacle" and decided to stop.
2004: Leaves Jimmy Kimmel Live!
In the spring of 2004, Bill Simmons left Jimmy Kimmel Live! after a year and a half to focus full-time on his column but remained in California.
October 1, 2005: Release of "Now I Can Die in Peace"
On October 1, 2005, Bill Simmons released his first New York Times best-selling book, "Now I Can Die in Peace," a collection of his columns leading up to the 2004 World Series victory by the Boston Red Sox.
2005: Column Readership in 2005
In 2005, Bill Simmons' column averaged 500,000 unique visitors a month, according to ESPN.
2006: Isiah Thomas Threatens Simmons
In early 2006, Isiah Thomas threatened Bill Simmons on Stephen A. Smith's radio show due to Simmons' frequent criticism. Thomas stated there would be "trouble" if they ever met in the street. Later, upon meeting in Las Vegas, they both decided they were entertainers at heart.
May 8, 2007: Starts Eye of the Sportsguy Podcast
On May 8, 2007, Bill Simmons began a podcast for ESPN.com called "Eye of the Sportsguy."
June 14, 2007: Podcast Renamed The B.S. Report
On June 14, 2007, Bill Simmons' podcast was changed to "The B.S. Report" with a new theme song written by Ronald Jenkees.
July 16, 2007: Remy Criticizes Simmons on NESN Broadcast
On July 16, 2007, Red Sox announcer Jerry Remy criticized Bill Simmons for about five minutes during the NESN broadcast of a Red Sox–Royals game, amidst a feud over the presidency of Red Sox Nation.
October 2007: Joins E:60 as Special Contributor
In October 2007, Bill Simmons joined the television series E:60 as a special contributor.
2007: Conceives 30 for 30
In 2007, Bill Simmons and Connor Schell conceived the idea for 30 for 30, a series of documentaries commemorating the 30th year of the "ESPN era."
2007: Named Influential Person in Online Sports
In 2007, Bill Simmons was named the 12th-most influential person in online sports by the Sports Business Journal, notably the highest position on the list for a non-executive.
May 2008: Dispute with ESPN Management
In May 2008, Bill Simmons was involved in a dispute with management at ESPN.com. He indicated that he was writing less because he believed that he and ESPN had come to an agreement on creative lines, media criticism rules, and column promotion, but that these agreements had changed within a few months.
July 2008: Simmons Takes Leave to Write Book
In July 2008, Bill Simmons announced that he would take 10 weeks off from writing columns for ESPN.com's Page 2 to concentrate on finishing his second book.
November 2008: Simmons Quits The B.S. Report
In November 2008, Bill Simmons reportedly quit the B.S. Report due to corporate interference with his writing, related to the admission of a pornstar into an ESPN fantasy basketball league.
November 25, 2008: Return to Recording B.S. Report
On November 25, 2008, Bill Simmons returned to recording his B.S. Report podcast with a disclaimer stating, "The BS Report is a free flowing conversation that occasionally touches on mature subjects."
2008: Losing Interest in the Boston Bruins
Bill Simmons was a longtime fan of the Boston Bruins and the NHL, but claims that their poor management led to his completely losing interest in them until the 2008 playoffs.
July 27, 2009: Retires from ESPN The Magazine
On July 27, 2009, Bill Simmons announced his retirement from ESPN The Magazine but continued to write for the Page 2 website.
October 6, 2009: 30 for 30 Series Premieres
On October 6, 2009, the "30 for 30" documentary series, co-conceived by Bill Simmons, premiered with "King's Ransom" directed by Peter Berg.
October 27, 2009: Release of "The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to the Sports Guy"
On October 27, 2009, Bill Simmons released his second book, "The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to the Sports Guy". The book, which attempts to identify the best players and teams in NBA history and answer some of the sport's biggest "What ifs?", debuted at the top of The New York Times Best Seller list for non-fiction books.
November 2009: Column Readership in November 2009
Between June and November 2009, Bill Simmons' column averaged 1.4 million page views and 460,000 unique visitors a month, according to comScore.
2009: The B.S. Report Popularity in 2009
In 2009, Bill Simmons' podcast, "The B.S. Report", was downloaded more than 25.4 million times.
2009: Moderator at MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference
Since 2009, Bill Simmons has been a moderator and panelist at the annual MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference.
May 2010: New Contract Agreement with ESPN
In May 2010, it was reported that Bill Simmons and ESPN came to an agreement on a new contract, although no official announcement was made on the terms.
2010: Working on Top Secret Editorial Project
Sports blog Deadspin reported in 2010 that Bill Simmons was working on a "top secret editorial project," which would later be revealed as the launch of Grantland.
June 8, 2011: Grantland Launches
On June 8, 2011, Grantland, a sports and pop culture website owned by ESPN, launched with Bill Simmons as editor-in-chief.
March 2013: Suspended from Twitter Again
In March 2013, ESPN again suspended Bill Simmons from Twitter after he posted tweets critical of ESPN's First Take.
2013: Criticism for linking Memphis Grizzlies to MLK assassination
In 2013, Bill Simmons faced widespread critique after he linked local fans' ambivalence about the Memphis Grizzlies to the lingering trauma surrounding the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
August 2014: Leaving NBA Countdown to Produce Grantland Basketball Show
In August 2014, ESPN announced that Bill Simmons would be leaving NBA Countdown to produce an 18 episode primetime show for ESPN through Grantland, called The Grantland Basketball Show.
September 24, 2014: Suspended for Criticizing Roger Goodell
On September 24, 2014, ESPN suspended Bill Simmons for three weeks for criticizing NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's handling of the Ray Rice domestic violence case. Simmons stated that Goodell was lying about not knowing the content of the tape showing Rice punching his fiancé.
October 21, 2014: Debut of The Grantland Basketball Hour
On October 21, 2014, The Grantland Basketball Show, later renamed The Grantland Basketball Hour, debuted with Bill Simmons discussing NBA-related current events.
2014: Leaves NBA Countdown
Bill Simmons left the NBA Countdown pregame show prior to the 2014–2015 season.
May 8, 2015: ESPN Announces Contract Non-Renewal
On May 8, 2015, ESPN announced that Bill Simmons' contract, which was due to expire in September 2015, would not be renewed.
July 22, 2015: Signs Multi-Platform Deal with HBO
On July 22, 2015, Bill Simmons announced he had signed a new multi-platform deal with HBO starting in October 2015.
September 2015: End of ESPN Contract
Bill Simmons' contract with ESPN expired in September 2015 and was not renewed.
September 2015: Simmons' Contract Not Renewed by ESPN
In September 2015, ESPN president John Skipper announced that the sports media conglomerate would not be renewing Bill Simmons's contract. It was announced that Simmons would no longer be working at ESPN, effective immediately.
October 2015: Starts HBO deal
In October 2015, Bill Simmons started his new multi-platform deal with HBO.
October 30, 2015: ESPN Shuts Down Grantland
On October 30, 2015, months after deciding not to renew its contract with Bill Simmons, ESPN shut down the Grantland website.
2015: Leaves NBA Countdown
Bill Simmons left the NBA Countdown pregame show prior to the 2014–2015 season.
2015: Bill Simmons Media Group Launched
In the fall of 2015, Bill Simmons launched his venture, the Bill Simmons Media Group, which includes several podcasts and The Ringer website.
February 17, 2016: Announces The Ringer Website
On February 17, 2016, Bill Simmons announced the launch of his new website, The Ringer, as part of his venture, the Bill Simmons Media Group.
June 1, 2016: The Ringer Goes Live
On June 1, 2016, The Ringer website went live, featuring writers and podcasts focusing on sports, pop culture, and technology.
June 22, 2016: Any Given Wednesday Premieres on HBO
On June 22, 2016, Bill Simmons' weekly talk show, Any Given Wednesday, premiered on HBO.
November 2016: Any Given Wednesday Cancelled
In November 2016, Any Given Wednesday was cancelled by HBO after one season. However, Bill Simmons' multimedia deal with the network continued.
2016: Founds The Ringer and hosts Any Given Wednesday with Bill Simmons on HBO
In 2016, Bill Simmons founded The Ringer, a sports and pop culture website and podcast network, and became its CEO. He also hosted "Any Given Wednesday with Bill Simmons" on HBO for one season.
May 30, 2017: Vox Media Deal
On May 30, 2017, Vox Media announced that it had entered into a deal to provide advertising sales and access to its publishing platform to The Ringer as part of a revenue-sharing agreement. Simmons retained editorial control of the website.
September 2017: Simmons Supports Jemele Hill
In September 2017, Bill Simmons voiced his support for Jemele Hill, who had become involved in controversy after tweeting her personal views on Donald Trump.
July 2018: HBO Renews Simmons' Contract
In late July 2018, it was revealed that HBO decided to renew Bill Simmons' contract to remain with the network moving forward.
February 5, 2020: Spotify Acquires The Ringer
On February 5, 2020, Bill Simmons announced that Spotify was buying The Ringer for approximately $200 million. The Ringer maintains editorial independence.
June 2020: Criticism for Lack of Racial Diversity
In June 2020, Bill Simmons received criticism for the lack of racial diversity in The Ringer following email comments he made to The New York Times. Critics noted that Simmons employed his nephew as a producer and had created a podcast for his teenage daughter.
September 1, 2021: Investigation into The Ringer's Workplace Culture
On September 1, 2021, The New York Times published an investigation into The Ringer′s workplace culture. It included accusations that Bill Simmons had tried to marginalize The Ringer′s newly formed union, through tactics such as bringing in contract workers and unfollowing writers on Twitter who had expressed support for the union.
April 26, 2022: Criticism for "...fuck Jalen Green" comment
On April 26, 2022, Bill Simmons drew criticism from current and former NBA players over his comment stating "...fuck Jalen Green" when discussing his choices for All-Rookie first team. Simmons later clarified that the expletive was a joke and not a personal attack, and that he was simply indicating his preference for Herb Jones as a candidate for the All-Rookie team.
May 24, 2022: Simmons Hosts Jalen Green on Podcast
On May 24, 2022, Bill Simmons hosted Jalen Green as a guest on his podcast, where the two discussed the controversy from April 26, 2022 and cleared the air.
May 2023: Simmons Reaction Becomes a Meme
In May 2023, Bill Simmons' reaction of sadness became a meme following the Celtics' Game 7 loss to the Heat.
June 2023: Simmons Labels Prince Harry and Meghan Markle "Fucking Grifters"
In June 2023, Bill Simmons referred to Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, as "fucking grifters" after Spotify and their Archewell productions mutually decided to end a $20 million agreement after only 12 episodes of Meghan's podcast and one holiday special. Simmons, an executive at Spotify, made these comments about their podcast deal.
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