Derek Thompson on the American Sports Plutocracy, the NBA’s 2016 Black Swan Event, and the WNBA’s Growing Pains

from The Bill Simmons Podcast · host The Ringer

The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by Derek Thompson to discuss the finances of sports and the developing story of Mark Walter's Lakers sale. Then, they discuss the 2016 NBA cap spike before ending with their WNBA theories. (0:00) Intro (2:10) American sports plutocracy and Mark Walter (42:28) 2016 NBA cap spike (01:05:39) WNBA growing pains Host: Bill Simmons Guest: Derek Thompson Producers: Chia Hao Tat and Eduardo Ocampo The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visit https://fanduel.com/playwithaplan to learn more about the resources and helplines Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Aug 21, 2026

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Derek Thompson on the American Sports Plutocracy, the NBA’s 2016 Black Swan Event, and the WNBA’s Growing Pains

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