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One of the big NBA debates over the last several years centers around the NBA bubble from 2020 and whether or not the Los Angeles Lakers' championship from that bizarre year should have an asterisk or not. That season, of course, the NBA saw its season suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and they ended up finishing the campaign at Disney in Orlando, where the Lakers won the ring.
One person who has thoughts on the debate is Philadelphia 76ers executive Daryl Morey, who was the general manager of the Houston Rockets at the time of the Bubble.
“Had the Rockets won the title, I absolutely would have celebrated it as legitimate, knowing the immense effort and resilience required,” said Morey, per Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “Yet, everyone I speak to around the league privately agrees that it doesn’t truly hold up as a genuine championship.”
Morey then spoke on how he thinks the bubble should be viewed by history.
“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,” he said.
A controversial statement
Daryl Morey's Houston Rockets were escorted out of the second round by the eventual champion Lakers during the second round that year in five games.
It should be noted that that season, the Lakers were the best team in the NBA essentially from start to finish, and were closing in on securing home court advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs by the time the NBA season came to a screeching halt.
That was the first season of the partnership between Anthony Davis and LeBron James. Both players were able to stay relatively healthy that season, and the Lakers' size overwhelmed opponents during the course of that playoff run in Orlando.
Some skeptics point to the fact that there were no fans in attendance, as well as the general bizarre nature of the Bubble overall, for reasons why the ring should be viewed differently.
Good luck convincing Lakers fans of that.
