Daryl Morey Makes Controversial Comments about 2020 Lakers Championship

Daryl Morey has done it again, folks. The Philadelphia 76ers’ executive has stirred the pot like a master chef in the middle of a reality TV cooking show. This time, he’s gone straight for the jugular of Lakers Nation by revisiting the hot-button topic of the 2020 NBA Bubble Championship. Oh yeah, the one LeBron James and his Los Angeles Lakers walked out of Disney World with, Mickey Mouse ears optional.

According to Morey, speaking to The Athletic, people around the league don’t see it as a “genuine championship.” He even went as far as to imply that those shiny Larry O’Brien trophies from the bubble carry an unspoken asterisk. And for good measure, he threw in a classic conditional defense, stating, “Had the Rockets won the title, I absolutely would have celebrated it as legitimate.” That’s basically the sports executive version of, “Well, if I had done it, it would’ve been legit!”

The Hubris of Revisionist History

Let’s break this down. Morey’s remarks have everything you’d expect from someone who has never led a team to an actual championship. Sure, the Rockets, under his guidance, came close a few times, but they repeatedly fell short. For someone with that résumé to question the legitimacy of any title comes across as, well, rich. Perhaps envious is the more fitting term, especially given that his Rockets team was in that very Orlando bubble and, spoiler alert, didn’t exactly live up to expectations.

Does Morey want us to believe he’d be holding the same dismissive opinion if James Harden had willed Houston to a title that year? Spoiler alert again, he wouldn’t. This feels less like objective criticism and more like someone gatekeeping an accomplishment they never got to taste.

Was the Bubble Unique? Absolutely. Was It Any Less Difficult? Definitely Not.

Here’s the thing about the 2020 bubble. Yes, it was a bizarre scenario forced by a pandemic that shut the world down. Players were locked into Disney World like unwilling theme park guests, dealing with unprecedented conditions of isolation, no fans, and cameras catching every bead of sweat. But if anything, that made the path to the championship harder. Imagine living out of a hotel for months, away from your family, and keeping your body and head in the game without the usual home court crowd energy to feed off.

The basketball played in the bubble was elite. The Lakers were methodical, slicing through the competition with LeBron and Anthony Davis playing at their absolute peaks. To suggest that beating the likes of the Nuggets, a scrappy Heat team, and others was somehow less difficult undermines not only the champion but all players who suited up in that surreal environment.

It wasn’t just some glorified AAU tournament. This was basketball at its highest level. And, surprise, LeBron doesn’t care if salty executives want to attach an asterisk to it.

Daryl Morey Gets Roasted…Again

Honestly, Morey’s comments aren’t just fodder for Lakers fans; they’re comedic gold for NBA Twitter. Phil Handy, a member of that Lakers coaching staff, didn’t hold back with his response, publicly calling him out on social media. Handy essentially said someone who wasn’t in the trenches during the bubble should probably keep quiet. He went further to question why Morey isn’t just eating whatever sour grapes buffet he seems to be serving to everyone else.

Handy wasn’t wrong. Morey has developed a reputation for sniping from the sidelines without much to show for it when crunch time rolls around. Whether it’s orchestrating Rockets teams that couldn’t quite make it over the hump or now being embroiled in James Harden drama in Philly, it’s clear Morey doesn’t mind ruffling feathers. But at what point does the act start to wear thin, even for his own supporters?

Legacy Solidified, Whether Morey Likes It or Not

Here’s the reality for Morey and anyone else who toes the “asterisk championship” line. History will treat the 2020 title for what it was: legitimate. People love to try and diminish greatness in real time, but these conversations age as well as milk. Just ask Bill Russell’s era critics or those who doubted Michael Jordan in his early years. Twenty years from now, when the rings are counted and banners are raised, the nuance of the bubble will only add to its story, not subtract from it.

It’s laughable to think that the opinions of a few envious executives will overshadow LeBron’s fourth championship when it’s all said and done. The pandemic season will always have a different feel, sure, but that’s a badge of honor, not a blemish.

Final Word on the Morey Debacle

If Daryl Morey wanted attention, congratulations, he got it. But this will likely be remembered as just another footnote in his legacy of stirring up chaos more than wins. The Lakers still have their 17th championship banner hanging at Crypto.com Arena, and the bubble remains etched as one of the strangest but most authentic chapters in NBA history. The only asterisk here is next to Morey’s ability to keep himself out of these kinds of messes.

This whole saga reminds us that before critiquing someone else’s achievements, maybe secure your own first, yeah?