Bill Simmons, David Aldridge Spar Over James Dolan And NBA Expansion

Bill Simmons of The Ringer and David Aldridge of The Athletic are battling over NBA expansion. And no, neither is placing an ownership bid.

Instead, as can sometimes be the case for media heavy-hitters, Simmons and Aldridge are at odds over who may be keeping expansion from happening. Namely, New York Knicks owner James Dolan.

According to Simmons, Dolan has quietly led a group of owners pushing back against the league’s expansion plans. The reasoning, per Simmons, is that Dolan doesn’t want to see the NBA’s media rights money split into even smaller slices. While cities like Las Vegas and Seattle wait patiently, Dolan supposedly sees expansion as a financial threat rather than an opportunity.

“He’s leading a little cabal of anti-expansion owners,” Simmons said on a recent podcast, adding that Dolan’s relationship with NBA commissioner Adam Silver has become “angrier and weirder” than most outlets are willing to report.

Simmons had already pointed to signs of tension earlier this year, noting that the Knicks have stopped cooperating with the league on standard initiatives like ticket giveaways. That, he said, was more than just a petty disagreement. It was part of a deeper rift between Dolan and the league office.

Simmons’ take seemingly didn’t sit well with Aldridge, a longtime NBA voice who questioned the notion that Dolan is acting alone. In a recent column, Aldridge cited league sources who insisted the resistance to expansion is broader than Simmons suggested.

“It’s more than JD,” one senior team official told The Athletic.

But Aldridge didn’t stop there. He referred to Simmons as “the podcaster,” a description that raised eyebrows and prompted Simmons to respond. While Simmons didn’t fully engage in a back-and-forth, he did defend his reporting and pointed out that he’s been ahead of the curve on multiple fronts, including the league’s media rights deal and the early rumblings of owner pushback on expansion.