Philadelphia 76ers team president Daryl Morey backtracked a bit on comments he made about the legitimacy of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2020 NBA title in the Orlando bubble.
Morey was quoted by Joe Vardon of The Athletic as saying that the Lakers’ title deserved an asterisk because of the circumstances under which it was won. The former Houston Rockets executive also claimed that his opinion was shared by many around the NBA.
“Had the Rockets won the title, I absolutely would have celebrated it as legitimate, knowing the immense effort and resilience required,” Morey said. “Yet, everyone I speak to around the league privately agrees that it doesn’t truly hold up as a genuine championship.”
Naturally, Morey’s comments went viral, with many Lakers fans in particular outraged at what they saw as an attempt to discredit their championship. Subsequently, Morey tried to clean up his remarks.
“I’m frustrated,” Morey told Anthony Irwin of ClutchPoints. “Of course, I respect that title. I defend it to people all the time. It’s the thing I want the most.”
Morey is casting himself as the person who defends the title when everyone he talks to discredits it. That is probably a tall tale for Laker fans to believe.
On the other hand, Morey is probably not the only one who thinks that way about the 2020 title. One member of that Lakers team has even acknowledged that much. The banner will hang forever, and that is ultimately what matters most.
