The Los Angeles Lakers’ 2020 championship has faced its fair share of criticism over the past four years, with many detractors labeling it a “bubble ring.” Now, Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations, Daryl Morey has reignited the debate, effectively calling the Lakers’ title fraudulent, without using those exact words.
In a recent report by Joe Vardon of The Athletic, Morey cast doubt on the legitimacy of the Lakers’ title run in Orlando, suggesting that the bubble environment stripped the championship of its traditional meaning.
“Had the Rockets won the title, I absolutely would have celebrated it as legitimate, knowing the immense effort and resilience required. 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.”
Morey’s comments, though careful, leave little doubt about his stance. By claiming that “everyone around the league” privately dismisses the title, he has placed the Lakers’ 17th banner under renewed scrutiny.
What makes this even more controversial is his admission that he would have treated the championship as legitimate had his Rockets won it that year, a statement that comes across as hypocritical to many fans.
The 2020 NBA playoffs were unlike any other. With the COVID-19 pandemic halting the season in March, the league resumed in July with a strict “bubble” environment in Orlando, Florida.
There were no home-court advantages, no hostile road crowds, and no exhausting travel schedules. In many ways, the bubble tested teams in ways the traditional playoffs never did, requiring not just basketball excellence but also mental fortitude.
LeBron James, who led the Lakers to their 17th championship with Anthony Davis, has repeatedly defended the title as one of the hardest ever won. The Lakers thrived in those unique conditions, going 16-5 in the postseason en route to defeating the Miami Heat in the Finals. For LeBron, the bubble was the “purest form of basketball”, stripped of distractions and based solely on skill, preparation, and mental toughness.
Much of the criticism surrounding the bubble stems from teams that underperformed, most notably the Los Angeles Clippers. Many former Clippers players and insiders have admitted that they were mentally checked out due to the pandemic and the unfamiliar environment.
The Clippers blew a 3-1 lead to the Denver Nuggets in the second round, a failure that some have used to delegitimize the Lakers’ title. But this narrative overlooks a simple truth: the Lakers embraced the challenge, while others did not.
Calling the 2020 championship an “asterisk” title feels disingenuous. Every team had the same conditions, and no one had an unfair advantage. If anything, the absence of travel and crowds made it a level playing field, one where talent, preparation, and adaptability mattered most.
To dismiss the Lakers’ title is to ignore the grueling effort they put in during one of the most challenging times in NBA history.
Morey’s remarks might resonate with those who never accepted the bubble, but for LeBron James and the Lakers, the championship banner hanging in Crypto.com Arena speaks for itself. They showed up, played the best basketball, and won when it mattered most. The circumstances may have been unique, but the title was earned, no asterisk required.
Phil Handy Fires Back At Daryl Morey
Phil Handy, the former Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach and current Dallas Mavericks assistant, didn’t hold back in his response to Daryl Morey’s recent comments questioning the legitimacy of the Lakers’ 2020 championship. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Handy fired back with pointed words that defended the integrity of the bubble title.
“They can talk all that shit they want. If you weren’t in the bubble to win it they may want to keep quiet about it. Every team came into the bubble to compete and win. If Houston would have beat us and won it I’m sure they wouldn’t be saying it wasn’t real lol.”
Handy’s comments come directly in response to Morey’s claim that the bubble title carries an asterisk and lacks full legitimacy in the eyes of many around the league. For Handy, who was on the Lakers’ coaching staff during that run, the criticism is both hypocritical and dismissive of the grind every team went through in Orlando.
His fiery defense highlights the pride the Lakers still take in that championship and just how tired they are of outsiders trying to downplay it simply because their own teams couldn’t get the job done.
