The crew at the "Run it Back" show was up in arms against "The Ringer" founder Bill Simmons for comparing Giannis Antetokounmpo to Joel Embiid during a recent episode of his podcast.
Simmons and buddy Zach Lowe were discussing whether Antetokounmpo is still a Top 5 player in the league. Lowe said yes, but Simmons disagreed because the Greek Freak has missed many games over the last couple of seasons due to injuries. Bill went on to say that because of his recent woes, Giannis is closer to Joel than he is to Nikola. Lou Williams thinks that player comp was a foul.
"I got a lot of love and respect for Bill Simmons and a lot of the legends in the sports media space. But we've got to stop the 'smarter than everyone in the room' takes. Some of these takes are just off the wall. Like, why can't we just celebrate the person for who they are, as opposed to comparing them to somebody else's legacy and career?" said Williams.
Simmons is one of the most respected NBA pundits around, having been around the league since 2001, when he was a columnist for ESPN. He is widely considered the pioneer of internet sportswriting and has been one of the most listened-to voices for decades. However, because he's so good at what he does, Bill sometimes gives outrageous takes that fans listen to and respect because they're coming from him.
Now, while it's true that Giannis has had an injury-prone 2025-26 season and missed the playoffs or postseason games in the last couple of years due to injury, Antetokounmpo is still only 31 and remains an elite player when healthy. The fact that he was named to the All-NBA team in each of the past seven seasons is clear proof that Antetokounmpo is a Top 5 players in the league. Maybe he isn't this season, but it's because the Greek native won't make the 65-game requirement.
"All three names mentioned in this conversation are gonna be Hall of Fame guys, if you ask me. We're still talking about a guy that's averaging a point a minute. Every time he's on the court, he's averaging a point a minute. He's impactful in his own way. He doesn't have to be compared to anybody to say that he's a Top 5 player," Lou added.
In fairness to Simmons, he disclosed during the discussion that he was only playing devil's advocate while questioning Lowe why he would trade for Antetokounmpo if he were Miami. And it was also Zach who first brought up Joel's name to their discussion. And Bill reasoned that Giannis hasn't been available this year. Still, Lou didn't like the negative connotation of the player comp.
"As much as we talk about LeBron and Steph Curry changing the game, Giannis has changed the game in his own unique way with his style of play. So saying that he's closer to Joel Embiid than Nikola Jokic , and saying it in a tone of it being some type of negative way to go, I ain't loving that take," he concluded.
Giannis was still playing like a Top 5 player before he got hurt, and there's no reason why he won't be the same when he heals up. But yeah, with great seasons from guys like Cade Cunningham , Jaylen Brown , and Kawhi Leonard , it's true that Antetokounmpo may no longer be a Top 5 player, but only this season because he is not playing.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Mar 26, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
