Jalen Green has a message for Bill Simmons after earning a spot on the All-Rookie first team
Jalen Green and Bill Simmons
© Troy Taormina - USA TODAY Sports
Over the past couple of months, The Ringer CEO, veteran sportswriter, and podcast pioneer Bill Simmons has caught a lot of flack for his statement about Jalen Green. For context, this statement was derived from Simmons' opinion on who should be included in this year's NBA All-Rookie team. Simmons, who has been a big believer of New Orleans Pelicans rookie Herb Jones, felt like Jones deserved a spot on the All-Rookie team instead of Green.
"My guy Herb Jones," Simmons, who has a vote in the NBA awards, said. "I put him First Team All-Rookie, I put him over Jalen Green. Fu*k Jalen Green, I don't care that you're scoring 40 points. Congratulations. Herb Jones is guarding dudes in real games. Now the Houston people are gonna get mad at me. I like winning players, I'm sorry. Jalen Green will get there, it's just that his team was 21-61 this year, whatever," added Simmons.
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A controversial statement
Simmons' statement was so controversial that it made its round around the league. It got to a point where even Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green and Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid called out Simmons and said he doesn't deserve a vote. In the players' defense, a ton of these awards impact their salaries, contract, and reputation, so it makes sense why they would react to Simmons' statement like this.
Luckily for Jalen Green, this didn't hinder him from earning a spot on the NBA's All-Rookie first team alongside Franz Wagner, Scottie Barnes, Evan Mobley, and Cade Cunningham. As soon as the list of awardees was announced, the first thing Green did was tweet a special shoutout to Simmons.
Time to reconsider
Going back to Green and Embiid's point, maybe it's time for the NBA to reconsider who they give their voting rights. Simmons is an incredible sports author, host, writer, and everything in between, but one can argue that there are people out there who don't take awards voting as seriously as he does.
Whether Simmons meant to say "fu*k Jalen Green" or not, this is still a bad look for the NBA and its media. These awards mean a lot to the players, and it's uncomfortable for them to know that there are analysts like him who have a massive say in their accomplishments.
