NBA Opening Night, Blake Griffin, and Peter Berg: A Packed Simmons Pod

The 2026-27 NBA season tipped off with three games, and Bill Simmons opened his podcast with a six-pack of observations before sitting down for two in-person interviews — first with Blake Griffin, then with director Peter Berg. The throughline connecting all three segments is a deep, lived-in love for sports and storytelling, filtered through Simmons's signature mix of hot takes, historical context, and genuine affection for the people he talks to.

The NBA Six-Pack: Early Impressions and Big Questions

Simmons came into opening night feeling good about his preseason pick of Oklahoma City over Indiana in the Finals. Nothing he saw in OKC's win over San Antonio changed his mind. The key development was the emergence of Mara, the rookie they drafted 12th, who played only 10 minutes but made them count against Victor Wembanyama. Simmons compared it to the old WWE dynamic where they'd bring in villains who could plausibly battle Andre the Giant — Mara is the first OKC player who can go toe-to-toe, height-to-height with Wemby. More important was Jalen Williams being healthy again after last year's injury issues. "Everything I saw tonight reinforced what I thought going into the season," Simmons said. "OKC is the team to beat."