When COVID-19 struck, it nearly shut down the entire world. Its effect spilled out into the sports world, including the NBA, which shut down on March 11, 2020.
Related: NBA insider believes Lakers could trade four players
The league resumed on July 30, 2020, and took place at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, in the famed “bubble.” The Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA championship, defeating the Miami Heat in the bubble.
TOP NEWS
This was the Lakers’ 17th championship, while LeBron James won his fourth. Many people discredit the championship win, and this includes the president of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Daryl Morey discredits Lakers’ bubble title
Daryl Morey is the president of the 76ers, and he recently spoke about the Lakers’ bubble championship and how he and others around the league don’t view it as a “genuine championship.”
“Had the Rockets won the title, I absolutely would have celebrated it as legitimate, knowing the immense effort and resilience required,” Morey said. “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.”
Ultimately, the Lakers’ 2020 championship does count, and people shouldn’t throw it under the rug. Should people hold it up against other championship-winning teams? That’s for another debate.
