{"id":26754,"date":"2025-05-12T06:11:11","date_gmt":"2025-05-12T06:11:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/26754\/"},"modified":"2025-05-12T06:11:11","modified_gmt":"2025-05-12T06:11:11","slug":"richard-jefferson-calls-bill-simmons-criticism-an-actual-lie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/26754\/","title":{"rendered":"Richard Jefferson calls Bill Simmons’ criticism ‘an actual lie’"},"content":{"rendered":"

A recurring sports media discussion is a fan saying \u201cThey didn\u2019t talk about X!\u201d and a broadcaster responding \u201cActually, we did.\u201d But those criticisms are more notable when they come from a fan as prominent as The Ringer\u2019s Bill Simmons.<\/p>\n

In an X post Sunday, Simmons objected to a perceived lack of coverage of the Boston Celtics\u2019 Payton Pritchard during Saturday\u2019s broadcast of Game 3 against the New York Knicks on ABC. But ESPN on ABC NBA analyst Richard Jefferson, who was on the call alongside Mike Breen and Doris Burke, pushed back in strong terms:<\/p>\n

1. Pritch Please
2. Let me fix your post \u201cI\u2019m a huge Boston supporter and I wish they spoke MORE about Pritchard\u201d
3. I personally did a highlight package for Pritchard during the game.
4. So to say we didn\u2019t mention it for 2 hours is an actually lie or maybe a bias opinion.\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/HMbdufxDgW<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Richard Jefferson (@Rjeff24) May 11, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Awful Announcing can confirm that Jefferson voiced a 20-second \u201cPlayer resume brought to you by Indeed\u201d segment on Pritchard from late in the game Saturday:<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s Richard Jefferson voicing a player resume highlight package on Payton Pritchard on the NBA on ABC broadcast of Celtics-Knicks Saturday. https:\/\/t.co\/k305M8v3of<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/RZ41ycRMKl<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 11, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Of course, Simmons was very specific with his \u201calmost two hours\u201d line there, with that time frame being less than the whole game. Perhaps he found there to be insufficient mentions of Pritchard before this segment. (However, a term search indicates there were at least 12 other mentions of Pritchard during the game.) There can obviously be a debate about if a certain player received \u201cenough\u201d coverage or not on a game broadcast. But Pritchard being featured in a specific highlights package makes Simmons\u2019 claim here a little tougher.<\/p>\n

It is worth noting that Jefferson ended that X post with \u201cPs\u2026 have me on the pod again soon. I miss it.\u201d So it doesn\u2019t look like there\u2019s any bad blood here. But it is funny to see Jefferson chirping one of the world\u2019s most famous Celtics fans for complaining about a lack of Payton Pritchard coverage, despite an entire highlights segment dedicated to him.<\/p>\n

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