Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey has questioned the legitimacy of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2019-20 championship five years on.
The Lakers captured their first title in a decade during the NBA’s bubble season in Orlando, a season altered dramatically by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the unusual circumstances, LeBron James led Los Angeles to the championship, securing what is still his only ring with the Lakers.
Morey, however, is not convinced it holds the same weight.
“Had the Rockets won the title, I absolutely would have celebrated it as legitimate, knowing the immense effort and resilience required,” he said, via The Athletic. “Yet, everyone I speak to around the league privately agrees that it doesn’t truly hold up as a genuine championship. Perhaps the lasting legacy of the NBA bubble is that the NBA should be proud of its leadership at both the beginning and end of the pandemic, even though the champion will forever be marked by an asterisk.”
The remarks immediately drew backlash, especially from Lakers fans, forcing Morey to clarify his stance. He later reached out to Anthony Irwin to walk back his initial comments.
“I’m frustrated,” Morey said. “Of course, I respect that title. I defend it to people all the time. It’s the thing I want the most.”
He went further, admitting, “I can see why you would have taken it that way, and that would’ve made me mad too.”
Other voices in Vardon’s story pushed back on the notion that the bubble title should be minimized. Journalists Tim Reynolds and Kyle Goon argued the circumstances actually made it one of the toughest titles ever.
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