LeBron’s Philly Shocker! Plus, the 2011 NBA Redraftables With Zach Lowe.
Episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast · July 24, 2026 · 1 h 46 min
Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe react to LeBron James signing with the Philadelphia 76ers, then redraft the 2011 NBA draft class.
Summary
Bill Simmons and guest Zach Lowe recorded shortly after news broke that LeBron James would sign with the Philadelphia 76ers. Simmons admitted he had expected James to return to Cleveland, while Lowe rated his own surprise a 7.5 out of 10 and called the outcome fun. They debated the fit of James alongside Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe and Jaylen Brown, with Lowe arguing that awkward usage hierarchies are normal for contenders and Simmons floating conspiracy theories about Anthony Davis trade leverage.
Both agreed the team's ceiling hinged on Embiid's health; Lowe said he would bet against a title because he doubted Embiid could stay healthy through four playoff rounds, though he noted many of Embiid's injuries had been fluky. They discussed Jaylen Brown's diminished role, the revived Celtics–76ers rivalry that Simmons called the league's greatest, the strength of the Eastern Conference, and named Daryl Morey and the Golden State Warriors among the day's losers.
In the second half, the pair redrafted the 2011 NBA draft, which Simmons called a 10-out-of-10 chaotic class. Lowe took Kawhi Leonard first, and Simmons took Kyrie Irving second, conceding his 2011 prediction that Derrick Williams would outperform Irving was one of his worst. They argued Jimmy Butler versus Klay Thompson, worked through picks from Kemba Walker and Nikola Vučević to Bismack Biyombo, and digressed into Tom Dundon's cost cutting and public stadium financing.
Chapters
- 0:32
LeBron chooses Philadelphia
Simmons and Lowe give initial reactions to LeBron James signing with the 76ers and how surprised they were.
- 6:38
Roster fit and usage
The hosts debate usage overlap, staggering minutes, and comparisons to a potential Cleveland roster.
- 11:14
Conspiracy Bill and the Anthony Davis angle
Simmons speculates that Davis rumors and unsigned Harden and Green deals were leverage, while Lowe reports teams were in the dark.
- 16:31
Jaylen Brown's role and closing lineups
They discuss Brown's shrinking role, his extension desires, and how a closing five would function on the court.
- 28:10
Rivalries and the loaded East
Simmons celebrates the Celtics–76ers rivalry and both note the Eastern Conference's newfound depth.
- 32:06
Title odds and Embiid's burden
Lowe bets against a title because of Embiid's health, and they name the biggest winners and losers of the move.
- 44:16
Setting up the 2011 redraft
Simmons recaps the context and chaos of the 2011 NBA draft and its actual lottery.
- 46:30
Kawhi, Kyrie, Butler and Klay
Lowe takes Kawhi Leonard first, Simmons takes Kyrie Irving, and they debate Jimmy Butler versus Klay Thompson.
- 1:02:21
Middle picks
Kemba Walker, Nikola Vučević, Tobias Harris, Isaiah Thomas, Tristan Thompson and Jonas Valančiūnas come off the board.
- 1:17:15
Tom Dundon and stadium financing
A tangent on Dundon's cost cutting and why cities should not fund arenas for billionaire owners.
- 1:18:39
Late rounds
The hosts pick role players and oddities from Bogdanović and the Morris twins to Biyombo.
- 1:34:52
Misses and final recap
Simmons reviews his 2011 draft diary misses including Derrick Williams and the number two pick curse, then recaps both teams.
Key points
What was said, by whom, with the exact words. Timestamps jump to the moment.
- Zach Lowe
Lowe says he had expected LeBron James to choose a familiar destination such as Cleveland, Miami or Golden State.
“I just always thought momentum would push him towards a familiar destination, whether it was Cleveland, Miami, or his friends in golden state”
- Bill Simmons
Simmons argues the 76ers could win a championship if Joel Embiid is effective.
“This team, if they can get Embiid going, could win the title”
- Zach Lowe
Lowe argues that overlapping high-usage stars are a normal feature of championship contenders.
“rarely does a championship contender have a usage hierarchy that makes sense in that sort of perfect, idyllic way”
- Zach Lowe
Lowe believes a Cleveland team with LeBron would have been a legitimate title contender, disagreeing with Simmons.
“I think that actually would have been a pretty stacked team and a legit title contender”
- Zach LowePrediction · due Oct 2026
Lowe predicts Jaylen Brown will still be on the 76ers in October despite the role overlap.
“I would bet lots of money that he's on the team in October”
Listen from 20:53 · Jaylen Brown trade to the Philadelphia 76ers
- Bill Simmons
Simmons contends the Celtics–76ers rivalry is more historic than Celtics–Lakers.
“Celtics Sixers is the most historic, awesome rivalry the league has”
- Zach Lowe
Lowe says the East has become the better conference top to bottom even if the two best teams are in the West.
“It's the superior conference, top to bottom right now”
- Zach Lowe
Lowe says he would bet against the 76ers winning a title because of Embiid's health.
“But no, I would bet against them winning a title”
Linked moment · 34:22Skip to 34:22 using a listen link in the info box.
Zach LoweLowe argues the Philadelphia move fits LeBron's history of unconventional career decisions.
“he has not adhered to any sort of traditional superstar career track”
- Zach Lowe
Lowe doubts Embiid can stay healthy through a full playoff run.
“I just don't believe that he can be healthy for four straight playoff series”
- Zach Lowe
Lowe notes many of Embiid's playoff injuries were fluky, though recurring knee problems are the real concern.
“A lot of the playoff injuries have been really fluky injuries”
- Bill Simmons
Simmons names former 76ers executive Daryl Morey the biggest loser of the LeBron signing.
“Biggest loser today, Daryl Morey. He just held on for two more months”
- Zach Lowe
Lowe picks Kawhi Leonard first in the 2011 redraft, citing his titles and two-way play.
“two championships, two finals MVPs, the best two-way player by a decent margin”
- Bill Simmons
Simmons concedes that doubting Kyrie Irving in favor of Derrick Williams was one of his biggest draft misses.
“I was a big, this is one of my biggest draft misses of the last 20 plus years”
- Zach Lowe
Lowe takes Jimmy Butler over Klay Thompson for his defense, size and all-around scoring.
“I would take him over Klay in a vacuum with apologies to one of the greatest shooters of all time”
Listen from 54:34 · Jimmy Butler versus Klay Thompson debate
- Bill Simmons
Simmons argues Thompson is an even greater shooter than generally appreciated.
“So I actually think he's a greater shooter than maybe people realize”
Listen from 57:17 · Jimmy Butler versus Klay Thompson debate
- Zach Lowe
Lowe recounts that a Spurs coach compared Klay Thompson's drive to Manu Ginóbili's during a secret pre-draft workout.
“something about this guy's internal drive reminds me of Mondo Ginobili”
- Bill Simmons
Simmons says he would prefer Thompson over Butler for a full career because of his gravity and lack of drama.
“I just think I would rather have Clay Thompson on my team for the 15 years than Jimmy Butler”
Listen from 1:00:55 · Jimmy Butler versus Klay Thompson debate
- Zach Lowe
Lowe describes a pattern where Butler's stints start well and then sour, in Chicago, Minnesota and Miami.
“The Jimmy stuff is always really good until it's not like like Chicago”
Listen from 1:01:34 · Jimmy Butler versus Klay Thompson debate
- Zach Lowe
Lowe speculates that Tom Dundon's goal is to get the city to pay for a new or upgraded arena.
“I would assume his end game is get the city to pay for a really nice arena”
- Bill Simmons
Simmons doubts the city will help fund a new arena for Dundon.
“I don't think the city is going to be chipping in to help this rich guy have a better arena”
- Bill Simmons
Simmons says the historical curse of the number two pick appears to have faded in the 2020s.
“I'm not as scared of the second pick anymore in the 2020s”
People
In the conversation
- Bill SimmonsSportswriter and founder of The Ringer, host of The Bill Simmons Podcast
- Zach LoweRinger NBA analyst referenced repeatedly
Discussed
- LeBron JamesLos Angeles Lakers forward cited as a longevity outlier
- Joel EmbiidPhiladelphia 76ers center and former NBA MVP
- Jaylen BrownBoston Celtics guard-forward at the center of the hosts' first-team All-NBA case
- Tyrese MaxeyPhiladelphia 76ers guard
- VJ Edgecombe76ers second-year guard
- Anthony DavisNBA player who stars in the TBS series Foul Play
- James HardenGuard traded to Cleveland during the season
- Daryl MoreyFormer Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations
- Kawhi LeonardClippers forward whose games-played total affects All-NBA eligibility
- Kyrie IrvingNBA player referenced regarding flat-earth comments and his COVID-19 vaccine suspension
- Klay ThompsonNBA player whose relationship with Megan Thee Stallion ended publicly
- Jimmy ButlerNBA forward and 30th pick in 2011
- Kemba WalkerFormer Charlotte All-Star guard, ninth pick in 2011
- Derrick WilliamsSecond pick of the 2011 NBA draft
- Tom DundonOwner of the Carolina Hurricanes and Portland Trail Blazers
- Nick Nurse76ers head coach
- Adam SilverCommissioner of the NBA
Topics
- LeBron James free agency
- Philadelphia 76ers
- 2011 NBA draft
- Joel Embiid injury history
- Jaylen Brown trade to the Philadelphia 76ers
- Celtics–76ers rivalry
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Eastern Conference (NBA)
- Jimmy Butler versus Klay Thompson debate
- Kawhi Leonard
- Anthony Davis trade speculation
- Public financing of sports venues
- Portland Trail Blazers
- Sports betting
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From the publisher
The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by Zach Lowe to react to LeBron James deciding to take his talents to Philadelphia. Then the guys redraft the 2011 NBA class. (0:00) Intro (0:31) LeBron signs with the Sixers (44:24) 2011 NBA Redraftables Host: Bill Simmons Guest: Zach Lowe Producers: Chia Hao Tat and Eduardo Ocampo The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visit https://fanduel.com/playwithaplan to learn more about the resources and helplines Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on September 30, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.