Daryl Morey has made some controversial comments about the Los Angeles Lakers’ championship in the NBA bubble.
Morey previously worked for the Houston Rockets, who lost to the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals five years ago.
There have always been mixed opinions on the validity of the Lakers’ title in the bubble, but there is no genuine reason for it to resurface now.
Kendrick Perkins fired back at the Philadelphia 76ers’ president of basketball operations with a question relating to Joel Embiid.
Even though Morey admitted he would have celebrated the title the same as any other season if the Rockets had won it, he now claims it’s “marked by an asterisk.”
“Had the Rockets won the title, I absolutely would have celebrated it as legitimate, knowing the immense effort and resilience required,” he told The Athletic.
“Yet, everyone I speak to around the league privately agrees that it doesn’t truly hold up as a genuine championship.”
“Perhaps the lasting legacy of the NBA bubble is that the NBA should be proud of its leadership at both the beginning and end of the pandemic, even though the champion will forever be marked by an asterisk.”
Perkins questioned why Morey was “even talking” about what happened five years ago and suggested he focus on the 76ers’ current problems.
“Well, two things. One, why is Daryl Morey even talking about this? We would like to hear you address what Joel Embiid talked about a few weeks ago,” he responded.
“Talk about your organization. There’s some cleaning up that you need to be doing.”
Embiid recently opened up about his struggles and has no idea when he will return to the basketball court after several injuries.
Perkins believes that criticism of the Lakers’ bubble championship has nothing to do with the playing conditions or the winning team.
The 2010 NBA champion is adamant that it all comes down to his former teammate, LeBron James, and it would not be discussed if he were not involved.
“Here we are, five years removed from the bubble championship, and now we’re talking about an asterisk,” Perkins added.
“We wouldn’t be having this conversation… it has nothing to do with the bubble or the actual championship, or even the Lakers.
“It has everything to do with LeBron James winning it. Outside of that, it was one of the greatest and hardest championships in my opinion.”
