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Daryl Morey had the NBA world shook when he dropped a quote to The Athletic saying that everyone he speaks to agrees that the Lakers' 2020 championship in the bubble doesn't hold the same weight as the others. That led to many coming after Morey for his comments, and the latest person to do so was Stephen A. Smith.
“I think Daryl Morey was out of pocket for saying that, but most importantly, look at what he prefaced his comments with,” Smith said on First Take. “You were [with the Rockets] for 13 years and didn't win a title… and didn't get to the Finals. You've been in Philadelphia, and their behinds are going so backwards that some people are wondering if you're qualifying for the G-League half the time.
"You were [with the Rockets] for 13 years and didn't win a title… and didn't get to the Finals… it is something critics would argue you've been allergic to."
Stephen A. Smith on Daryl Morey's comments about the Lakers' 2020 title in the bubble 🗣️pic.twitter.com/JKZNG7VzvW
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 31, 2025
“Under his stewardship, Philadelphia has been nothing to brag about; Houston never got it done. Why would you even give a quote like that about championships? Respectfully, Daryl Morey, it is something critics would argue you've been allergic to.”
Morey may have been out of pocket for that comment, especially when players who participated in the bubble said that it may have been the hardest championship to win. When looking at what was going on at the time in the country with the pandemic and police brutality, the players were competing for something bigger for themselves.
Daryl Morey walks back his comments about Lakers' championship
With Morey receiving a lot of backlash about his comments, he came out and said afterward in an exclusive interview with Anthony Irwin of ClutchPoints that he actually respects the Lakers' championship.
“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.”
Morey was the general manager of the Rockets at that time, and that team faced the Lakers in the second round of the playoffs that season. Morey admitted in his original comments that if the Rockets had won that year, he would have embraced the title.
“Had the (Houston) Rockets won the title, I absolutely would have celebrated it as legitimate, knowing the immense effort and resilience required,” Morey said.
Nobody will forget that Lakers' championship because of the environment, and none of the players will forget it as well. It may not have been your typical NBA Finals, but it's just as legitimate as any other championship won.
