Philadelphia 76ers general manager Daryl Morey angered many of the Los Angeles Lakers’ faithful with recent comments he made regarding the franchise’s 2020 NBA Championship won inside the Orlando bubble. While Morey, who was then the general manager of the Houston Rockets, admitted that he would have celebrated the ring had Houston won, he followed it by saying that everyone he talks to in NBA circles doesn’t view the title as legitimate.
This led to many calling out Morey as being jealous of the Lakers’ success, especially considering that he has yet to capture an NBA Championship as an executive. Perhaps the most notable response came from former Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy, who noted that every team came into the bubble wanting to win and that those who failed need to be quiet.
The backlash caught the attention of Morey with him speaking to Anthony Irwin of ClutchPoints voicing his frustration over the implication that he doesn’t respect the Lakers’ 2020 championship:
“I’m frustrated,” Morey said over the phone Wednesday afternoon. “Of course, I respect that title. I defend it to people all the time. It’s the thing I want the most.”
However, Morey would admit that he understands why people reacted to his comments the way that they did and he would’ve responded the same way if he were in that position:
“I can see why you would have taken it that way, and that would’ve made me mad too,” Morey acknowledged.
The comments by Morey were simply unnecessary and at no point did he note that he was defending the Lakers’ championship to these people he was speaking with. Rather it came off as if he was in agreement with those believing the ring wasn’t a legitimate one.
Ever since the Lakers won that 2020 Championship, many people have come out questioning whether it is real despite L.A. being one of the best teams in the league all season before things got shut down. And none of those people would have those same feelings had they been the ones celebrating at the end, which makes all of those comments irrelevant.
Rajon Rondo recreates viral 2020 Lakers championship photo with his son
One of the most important players on that Lakers’ championship team was point guard Rajon Rondo, who was outstanding during that Finals series. He also went viral for a photo captured during the celebration as he sat on the floor with his son. And the two recently recreated that photo following Rajon Jr. winning his middle school basketball championship.
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