Sports

HBO Gives Bill Simmons Another Shot With NBA Finals Special

The new show will chronicle "the sights and sounds of the 2018 NBA Finals."

ESPN TV Personality Bill Simmons Coach of the West Team reacts to a play against the East Team during the Sprint NBA All-Star Celebrity Game 2014 at Sprint Arena during the 2014 NBA All-Star Jam Session at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on February 14, 2014 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)

By Evan Bleier / May 30, 2018 10:35 am

HBO Sports is giving Bill Simmons another chance.

After canceling Simmons’ Any Given Wednesday talk show following just 17 of 37 ordered episodes, HBO is bringing him back for an hour-long special on the upcoming NBA Finals.

Described as “an unscripted one-hour special chronicling the sights and sounds of the 2018 NBA Finals,” Courtside at the NBA Finals will premiere on Tuesday, June 19 at 9 p.m. EST.

Produced by HBO Sports and executive produced by Simmons, the show will look to build on the success of another Simmons-related project, the Andre the Giant documentary which was released this spring. That film “registered the highest premiere viewership for an HBO Sports documentary in 15 years,” according to the network.

“This show will give our subscribers a first-hand look at the nuances of each victory and defeat,” said HBO Sports executive vice president Peter Nelson. “We are privileged to team up with the NBA and Bill Simmons for this unique presentation.”