Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey stirred controversy with recent comments made to the Athletic suggesting that the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2020 championship “will forever be marked by an asterisk” and isn’t viewed by many league executives as a “genuine championship.” But dismissing that title undercuts not only what those Lakers endured but the very meaning of resilience and excellence in one of the toughest environments basketball has seen. Morey acknowledged that if his Rockets had won, he “would’ve celebrated it as legitimate,” while also claiming that “everyone I speak to around the league privately agrees that it doesn’t truly hold up as a genuine championship.” That double-take leaves fans and players wondering: Are all championships awarded in extraordinary circumstances now second-rate? Because if so, that says more about the critic than the champions. Here’s the reality of that Orlando bubble: no travel, no home-crowd advantage, players isolated for months, constant te
