Bill Simmons first made waves in the industry as a Boston Celtics faithful and sportswriter with a moniker "The Boston Sports Guy." His wild takes and unapologetic criticisms soon earned him a contract with ESPN, where he found a better platform to hit out at his most hated NBA stars and legends.
Simmons vehemently proclaimed Celtics legend Larry Bird is "Basketball Jesus," and unsurprisingly, the Satan is Los Angeles Lakers icon, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
"I would argue that everyone has their own personal Basketball Satan; mine was Kareem," Simmons said during a Q&A on ESPN in 2002. "Everything about him drove me crazy -- the way he whined to the refs, his utter and complete lack of personality, his unblockable hook shot that felt like a stake in the heart even before he released it, the disorienting bald spot on the back of his head, his goofy goggles, the way he jogged up the court ... I just couldn't stand him (and when he whistled an elbow at the head of the Basketball Jesus in Game 4 of the '84 playoffs, that pushed things to the next level)."
Simmons revealed that Abdul-Jabbar received nothing but hate from him as a player or if he was a coach. And he never shied away from letting his readers know about it. In fact, even when Kareem managed to lead the Oklahoma Storm to a USBL title as a head coach, Simmons said he spent the entire time rooting against KAJ.
"You know what's funny? I still root against Kareem. Even when he was coaching that USBL hoops team, I was rooting against him and checking the USBL box scores and stuff. Kareem was a ninny. Don't let anyone tell you differently. I feel very strongly about this," Simmons continued.
Needless to say, there may be nothing Abdul-Jabbar could do to change how Simmons feels about him. At least, there was one thing they could both agree on - their adulation for Bird.
"The best guy I've played against might have been Larry Bird," Abdul-Jabbar once said. "People don't appreciate Larry Bird enough. They think he is a chubby white guy, but he would wear us down. The muscle that is in between his ears was the best because he made three points, assisted, rebounded, and had steals. He was always in the right place at the right time. He is, without a doubt, one of the best players I've had ever played against."