What Bill Simmons has said about Boston Celtics
13 quotes · 11 episodes · Mar 26, 2026 – Oct 6, 2026
Bill Simmons, Sportswriter and founder of The Ringer, host of The Bill Simmons Podcast, has been quoted on Boston Celtics 13 times in 11 episodes of The Bill Simmons Podcast, most recently on October 6, 2026. Each quote below is verbatim and links to the moment it was said.
In their words
- Prediction · due Apr 2027
Simmons predicts Paul George can give Boston about 55 regular-season games and 1,500–1,600 minutes.
“I do think they can get 55 games, 1600, 1500, somewhere in there minutes”
The Bill Simmons Podcast: NBA One Guy (the East!), a Man City Punishment Primer, and Tom Cruise’s Bomb With J. Kyle Mann, Chris Ryan, and Van Lathan (Oct 6, 2026) · Listen from 19:58
- Prediction · due Apr 2027
Simmons projected the Celtics should still win at least 54 to 55 regular-season games.
“And I don't understand why they wouldn't at least be a 54 to 55 win team”
The Bill Simmons Podcast: Kawhi in Flux, Embiid’s Next Team, Jaylen vs. Advanced Numbers, and a Mini-Mailbag With Joe House (Jul 9, 2026) · Listen from 41:10
Simmons reports the Celtics made only a single offer for Giannis, involving Jaylen Brown and two picks, and never followed up.
“they made one offer two weeks ago and it was, you know, Jalen and two picks”
The Bill Simmons Podcast: 2026 NBA Draft Winners and Losers With Joe House and J. Kyle Mann (Jun 24, 2026) · Listen from 1:47:28
Simmons said he never thought the Giannis deal was right for Boston and preferred other Jaylen Brown trades.
“I didn't think this was the trade for Boston. I didn't like it. I didn't, I thought it was too risky and I thought there were better Jalen trades”
The Bill Simmons Podcast: Giannis to Miami! An Urgent Gathering Pod With Chris Ryan and Justin Verrier (Jun 23, 2026) · Listen from 14:27
Simmons cited his earlier tweet asserting Hugo Gonzalez would never be included in a Celtics offer, which proved correct.
“I would be absolutely shocked if Hugo was, was, or is thrown into any honest trade offer”
The Bill Simmons Podcast: Giannis to Miami! An Urgent Gathering Pod With Chris Ryan and Justin Verrier (Jun 23, 2026) · Listen from 36:21
Simmons said he would rather the Celtics trade Jalen Brown elsewhere than for Giannis, calling a Giannis deal partly a Hail Mary.
“I would still prefer that over the Giannis team. It's not a Hail Mary, but it's a little bit of a Hail Mary”
The Bill Simmons Podcast: The Giannis Never-Trade and a Mega-Mailbag With Zach Lowe, Plus Wyndham Clark’s Second U.S. Open Title With Joe House (Jun 22, 2026) · Listen from 9:46
Simmons questioned why the Celtics played Jayson Tatum heavy minutes after his return from injury.
“The thing I will never understand is why they put all those minutes on Tatum”
The Bill Simmons Podcast: Harden’s Moment, an NFL Schedule Glut, Owning the Jazz, and a Boston Sports Check-In—With Bryan Curtis, Bill’s Dad, and Ryan Smith (May 15, 2026) · Listen from 1:29:06
Simmons argues the Celtics never believed they could lose to Philadelphia and treated the series as an experiment.
“i don't think they ever thought they were losing to philadelphia i think they used the series as this testing ground”
The Bill Simmons Podcast: Five NBA Playoff Takes, Plus David Letterman’s First-Ever BS Pod Appearance (We Did It!!!) (May 8, 2026) · Listen from 19:28
Simmons said he would sit Jayson Tatum in Game 7 if he had even a slight strain.
“If he even has a slight strange, I'm sitting him in game seven”
The Bill Simmons Podcast: Joker’s Out, and Boston Might Be Next. Plus, an MLB Cocktail Party and 'Survivor 50' With Rob Mahoney, Billy Gil, and Jason Concepcion. (May 1, 2026) · Listen from 22:42
Simmons suggested a Jaylen Brown trade should at least be discussed if Boston lost the series, while disclaiming inside knowledge.
“i just wonder would they look at this as a chance to reset i have no idea i have no inside information”
The Bill Simmons Podcast: Joker’s Out, and Boston Might Be Next. Plus, an MLB Cocktail Party and 'Survivor 50' With Rob Mahoney, Billy Gil, and Jason Concepcion. (May 1, 2026) · Listen from 52:31
- Didn’t happen
Simmons said betting odds currently favor J.B. Bickerstaff over Mazzulla for Coach of the Year.
“Mae Bickerstaff yn parhau. Mae'n ddi-240. Mae Missoula yn ddi-230. Dwi'n meddwl bod Bickerstaff yn mynd i'w gynnal”
The Bill Simmons Podcast: The 2026 Made-Up NBA Awards With Zach Lowe (Apr 6, 2026) · Listen from 53:48
Simmons wondered whether months of watching from the bench changed how Tatum sees the game, noting his improved passing.
“a wnaeth unrhyw beth am basketball newid arno arno?”
The Bill Simmons Podcast: UConn’s Miracle, Weirdest NBA Season Ever, A Scary Playoff Team Draft, and an Iffy Expansion Plan With Zach Lowe (Mar 30, 2026) · Listen from 25:52
Simmons predicted the Celtics' ultimate playoff lineup in big games will be Tatum at center with Brown, a shooter, White and Pritchard.
“I do wonder if that's the ultimate destiny of them in huge, huge games”
The Bill Simmons Podcast: NBA Hot Takes, OKC’s Red Flag, and Giannis vs. Father Time With Kirk Goldsberry and Joe House (Mar 26, 2026) · Listen from 12:09
Predictions
- Prediction · due Apr 2027
Simmons predicts Paul George can give Boston about 55 regular-season games and 1,500–1,600 minutes.
“I do think they can get 55 games, 1600, 1500, somewhere in there minutes”
The Bill Simmons Podcast: NBA One Guy (the East!), a Man City Punishment Primer, and Tom Cruise’s Bomb With J. Kyle Mann, Chris Ryan, and Van Lathan (Oct 6, 2026) · Listen from 19:58 · Boston Celtics
- Prediction · due Apr 2027
Simmons projected the Celtics should still win at least 54 to 55 regular-season games.
“And I don't understand why they wouldn't at least be a 54 to 55 win team”
The Bill Simmons Podcast: Kawhi in Flux, Embiid’s Next Team, Jaylen vs. Advanced Numbers, and a Mini-Mailbag With Joe House (Jul 9, 2026) · Listen from 41:10 · Boston Celtics
- Didn’t happen
Simmons said betting odds currently favor J.B. Bickerstaff over Mazzulla for Coach of the Year.
“Mae Bickerstaff yn parhau. Mae'n ddi-240. Mae Missoula yn ddi-230. Dwi'n meddwl bod Bickerstaff yn mynd i'w gynnal”
The Bill Simmons Podcast: The 2026 Made-Up NBA Awards With Zach Lowe (Apr 6, 2026) · Listen from 53:48 · Boston Celtics
Simmons said Bickerstaff led the betting odds (-240 to Mazzulla's -230) and that he expected Bickerstaff to win, but on May 26, 2026 the NBA named Joe Mazzulla the 2025-26 Coach of the Year, with Bickerstaff among the finalists. Bickerstaff won only the separate award voted on by NBA coaches (NBCA), not the media-voted NBA award.
Sources: Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla wins 2025-26 NBA Coach of the Year · 2025-26 NBA Awards: Finalists and winners for league accolades · Joe Mazzulla Wins 2026 NBA Coach of the Year · JB Bickerstaff is the winner of the 2026 NBCA Coach of the Year Award - Yahoo Sports
Checked Oct 6, 2026
Episodes
NBA One Guy (the East!), a Man City Punishment Primer, and Tom Cruise’s Bomb With J. Kyle Mann, Chris Ryan, and Van LathanThe Bill Simmons Podcast · Oct 6, 2026 · 2 h 13 min
Bill Simmons and J. Kyle Mann pick one key player per NBA Eastern Conference team, then Chris Ryan and Van Lathan discuss cable stars, Tom Cruise's 'Digger,' and Manchester City's punishment.
- Kawhi in Flux, Embiid’s Next Team, Jaylen vs. Advanced Numbers, and a Mini-Mailbag With Joe House
The Bill Simmons Podcast · Jul 9, 2026 · 1 h 56 min
Bill Simmons and Joe House discuss the paused Kawhi Leonard trade, Jaylen Brown's poor advanced metrics, a possible Joel Embiid trade, and mailbag questions.
- 2026 NBA Draft Winners and Losers With Joe House and J. Kyle Mann
The Bill Simmons Podcast · Jun 24, 2026 · 1 h 59 min
Bill Simmons, Joe House, and J. Kyle Mann react live on Netflix to the 2026 NBA draft's first round, naming winners and losers team by team.
- Giannis to Miami! An Urgent Gathering Pod With Chris Ryan and Justin Verrier
The Bill Simmons Podcast · Jun 23, 2026 · 52 min
Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan and Justin Verrier react to Giannis Antetokounmpo's trade to the Miami Heat and what it means for the Bucks, Celtics and Jaylen Brown.
- The Giannis Never-Trade and a Mega-Mailbag With Zach Lowe, Plus Wyndham Clark’s Second U.S. Open Title With Joe House
The Bill Simmons Podcast · Jun 22, 2026 · 1 h 56 min
Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe discuss the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade saga and a listener mailbag, then Joe House recaps Wyndham Clark's U.S. Open win.
- Harden’s Moment, an NFL Schedule Glut, Owning the Jazz, and a Boston Sports Check-In—With Bryan Curtis, Bill’s Dad, and Ryan Smith
The Bill Simmons Podcast · May 15, 2026 · 2 h 54 min
Bill Simmons previews NBA Game 6s, discusses sports schedule glut with Bryan Curtis, Boston sports with his dad, and Jazz rebuilding with owner Ryan Smith.
- Five NBA Playoff Takes, Plus David Letterman’s First-Ever BS Pod Appearance (We Did It!!!)
The Bill Simmons Podcast · May 8, 2026 · 1 h 57 min
Bill Simmons shares NBA second-round playoff takes, then interviews David Letterman about retirement, late-night TV, yacht rock, comedy peers, sports rule ideas and Netflix.
- Joker’s Out, and Boston Might Be Next. Plus, an MLB Cocktail Party and 'Survivor 50' With Rob Mahoney, Billy Gil, and Jason Concepcion.
The Bill Simmons Podcast · May 1, 2026 · 2 h 17 min
Bill Simmons recaps a wild NBA playoff night with Rob Mahoney, runs through MLB's early storylines with Billy Gil, and dissects 'Survivor 50' with Jason Concepcion.
- The 2026 Made-Up NBA Awards With Zach Lowe
The Bill Simmons Podcast · Apr 6, 2026 · 2 h 5 min
Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe react to a Nuggets-Spurs overtime thriller, the Lakers' injuries, and hand out their 2026 made-up NBA awards.
- UConn’s Miracle, Weirdest NBA Season Ever, A Scary Playoff Team Draft, and an Iffy Expansion Plan With Zach Lowe
The Bill Simmons Podcast · Mar 30, 2026 · 1 h 45 min
Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe react to UConn's buzzer beater over Duke, draft the scariest NBA playoff teams, and question the league's expansion plan.
- NBA Hot Takes, OKC’s Red Flag, and Giannis vs. Father Time With Kirk Goldsberry and Joe House
The Bill Simmons Podcast · Mar 26, 2026 · 1 h 36 min
Bill Simmons, Kirk Goldsberry and Joe House debate OKC's vulnerabilities, All-NBA cases, Houston's bad vibes and whether any team should trade for Giannis.
Others on Boston Celtics
- Hank Lockwood · 9 quotes
- Zach Lowe · 3 quotes
- Joe House · 2 quotes
- Bill Simmons's father · 2 quotes
- Nick Wright · 2 quotes
- J. Kyle Mann · 1 quote
- Dan Katz · 1 quote
- Justin Verrier · 1 quote
Bill Simmons on other topics
- Giannis Antetokounmpo trade speculation · 17 quotes
- 2026 NBA draft · 14 quotes
- New York Knicks · 13 quotes
- Oklahoma City Thunder · 11 quotes
- 2026 NBA playoffs · 10 quotes
- San Antonio Spurs · 9 quotes
- 2026 NBA Finals · 8 quotes
- Cleveland Cavaliers · 8 quotes