Simmons softens Brown Finals MVP criticism; official vote was 7–4

Bill Simmons softened his language about Jaylen Brown’s 2024 Finals MVP award Friday while holding to his preference for Jayson Tatum. The argument also carries a factual distinction: the NBA’s published vote was seven for Brown and four for Tatum, decided by 11 media members.

In his October 2 post, Simmons said he should not have used the word “ridiculous.” He maintained that Tatum should have won, particularly after Game 5, and described his general preference for giving Finals MVP to the best player on the championship team unless an exceptional performance changes the case.

What the podcast said

The remarks came during the October 2 Bill Simmons Podcast with Joe House. The Ringer’s official episode page places its NBA discussion between the early NFL picks and Tom Pelissero’s segment. In the published full-episode transcript, the exchange about Brown starts around 1:01:32.

Simmons rejects Brown’s award and then argues for expanding the voting group to 15 reporters. His stated premise is a five-person panel that can produce a three-to-two result. That is not the vote that decided the 2024 award.

The actual voting record

NBA Communications published the result June 18, 2024: Brown received seven of the 11 votes, with Tatum taking the remaining four. The official record gives the discussion a firmer starting point. A proposal for 15 voters would expand that panel by four, rather than triple a five-person group.

Contemporary Sporting News reporting also listed the 11 voters and the seven-to-four tally. The award went to Brown after Boston defeated Dallas in five games. Tatum led Brown in the series’ points, rebounds and assists averages: 22.2, 7.8 and 7.2, compared with Brown’s 20.8, 5.4 and 5.0. Brown shot 44 percent from the field to Tatum’s 38.8 percent, and the report highlighted Brown’s defensive work against Dallas. Those differences give each side evidence to discuss alongside the actual ballot.

Simmons’s later post changes his description of Brown’s selection, while preserving his underlying view of who should win. Those are separate questions for the debate: whether an award should favor a champion’s strongest player overall, and which player performed best over the Finals being judged.

The useful comparison begins with the actual panel and result. Fans can disagree about how much to value a closing game, an entire series or a player’s broader standing without treating an incorrect voting premise as NBA history.