Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NBA had to change its way to successfully conduct the playoffs in the 2019-20 season. This led to players being locked in the Orlando bubble for months.
Considering the fact that LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers ended up winning the 2020 NBA Championship, they were in the bubble for the longest time. While winning the title must have been a good feeling, that aside, it was unarguably a forgettable trip for most.
After all, being isolated from your family for months is something that no one will do willingly. Unfortunately, for the postseason to be completed, this step had to be taken.
Anyway, after staying for three months in the bubble, LeBron was understandably frustrated. So much so that in 2021 in an interview, he was asked about his thoughts on hypothetically being traded to the Orlando Magic. James seemingly trolled the franchise by saying he’d rather retire.
“That’s part of the reason I haven’t taken my daughter to Disney World. You got to understand, any time I hear Orlando right now, I get PTSD. I was in the bubble for 95 (days). They have no chance. I’m not going. I’m just retiring. It’s over. LeBron has been traded to Orlando. LeBron lives in Malibu. He’s not going.”
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This reply from James must have stung Magic fans. But let’s be real, there is no chance that LeBron would’ve gone to the Magic. Even after turning 37-years-old, LBJ is still in pursuit of winning another championship in his career.
If he hypothetically joins the Magic, there is hardly any support for him to take the organization to the playoffs.
Apart from that, James and the Magic have a rivalry dating all the way back to 2009. That season, Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic eliminated James and the Cavaliers from the postseason.
It led to NBA fans being stripped off of a chance to see the dream matchup between LeBron James and Kobe Bryant in the 2009 NBA Finals. It could have been one of the most memorable NBA Finals of all time, sadly it never became a reality.
