Five years later, the debate still won’t die.
Was the Lakers’ 2020 championship in the Orlando bubble legitimate? According to 76ers president Daryl Morey, and plenty of insiders around the league, it might always come with an invisible asterisk.
And he’s not exactly whispering it anymore.
“Not Illegitimate… But Different”
Speaking on The Bill Simmons Podcast, Morey didn’t outright discredit the Lakers’ 2020 run, but he didn’t validate it either.
“There’s definitely a feeling that the bubble was different,” he said.
“Not illegitimate, but different. And some people around the league see it with an asterisk, unofficially.”
Morey doubled down in The Athletic, saying “everyone I speak to privately agrees that it doesn’t truly hold up as a genuine championship.”
That may not sit well in Los Angeles, where LeBron James and Anthony Davis delivered the Lakers’ 17th banner by beating the Miami Heat in six games. But to Morey, the context matters. And the absence of crowds, travel, and normal NBA chaos makes it harder to rank that title alongside others.
“Had the Rockets won the title, I absolutely would have celebrated it as legitimate,” Morey admitted.
“Yet even I know it would have felt different.”
LeBron Says It Was the Hardest Title Ever
LeBron James has repeatedly defended the bubble ring as the most mentally grueling championship of his career.
“No distractions, just basketball and your thoughts,” he told ESPN in 2022.
“You had to be mentally locked in.”
James was 35 at the time and went on to win his fourth NBA title and Finals MVP in a season marred by a global pandemic, social unrest, and months of total isolation.
To him, the bubble was about survival, not comfort.
Legends Are Split on the Bubble’s Weight
Morey isn’t the first to throw subtle shade.
Scottie Pippen once compared the bubble to “AAU-style ball.”
Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley both hinted that it felt more like a “pickup game environment” than a playoff crucible.
Even within the media, the legitimacy of the bubble title has long been a favorite debate topic.
But others pushed back. Goran Dragić, who played for the Heat in those Finals, tweeted:
“No asterisks. That bubble was real ball.”
And statistically, the play was elite. The bubble produced breakout moments from Jamal Murray, Devin Booker, and more. Every team faced the same conditions. Every team had the same shot.
So why does the conversation keep resurfacing?
Final Word: Different Doesn’t Mean Disqualified — But It Might Never Be Equal
Morey’s comments didn’t strip the Lakers of their title. But they did underline what a growing number of execs and players privately believe: the 2020 ring will never fully escape its context.
In a league that thrives on tradition and legacy, the bubble season may always stand alone. Not erased, but not quite embraced either.
