The 2020 NBA championship may be in the record books, but not everyone is giving it full credit, including one former Lakers champion.
On Monday, Ron Harper, a five-time NBA champion with the Bulls and Lakers, threw major shade at LeBron James’ 2020 title run in the Orlando bubble, dismissing the ring as a joke in a viral post on X (formerly Twitter).
“What 2020 title the bubble gum ring?” Harper wrote, mocking the Lakers’ championship that season.
Harper’s shot came in response to former Laker Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who recently said the Lakers should have kept the 2020 roster together, a team that featured LeBron, Anthony Davis, Rajon Rondo, Dwight Howard, and more.
A Ring Still Under Debate
LeBron and Davis dominated in the 2019–20 season, finishing No. 1 in the West and leading the Lakers to wins over Portland, Houston, and Denver en route to the NBA Finals. There, the Lakers beat the Miami Heat in six games, giving James his fourth title and fourth Finals MVP.
But because the season was completed in the Disney World bubble, with no fans and no travel, many critics have attached an asterisk to the ring.
Harper is one of them.
Players Say It Was the Toughest Ring
LeBron and others who played in the bubble have long pushed back on the criticism, arguing that the mental and emotional challenges of playing in isolation, with constant COVID testing and no home-court advantage, made it one of the toughest environments ever.
Even still, debates over the legitimacy of the “bubble ring” haven’t gone away and Harper’s jab only keeps the conversation alive.
Quick Take:
- Ron Harper calls 2020 title a “bubble gum ring”
- LeBron won Finals MVP, led Lakers through Heat in 6 games
- Debate reignites over whether bubble title counts the same
