Kendrick Perkins slammed Daryl Morey over his remark about the Lakers' 2020 Bubble win: "It's probably the hardest championship to accomplish"

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Kendrick Perkins slammed Daryl Morey over his remark about the Lakers' 2020 Bubble win: "It's probably the hardest championship to accomplish" originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Over the years, several murmurs have been surrounding the legitimacy of the 2020 bubble championship, won by the Los Angeles Lakers. Recently, Daryl Morey decided to revisit the debate, invoking strong reactions saying most NBA executives he has spoken with do not consider the bubble championship a legitimate one.
'Had the Rockets won the title, I absolutely would have celebrated it as legitimate, knowing the immense effort and resilience required,' Morey said, per The Athletic's Joe Vardon. '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,' added the current Philadelphia 76ers' president of basketball operations.
In 2020, the world was dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing several industries to a standstill. In the case of the NBA, they had to suspend the season midway. However, after almost four months, it would resume its operations in a new setup.
Commissioner Adam Silver and Co. managed to implement the Bubble concept in Orlando. To ensure the best safety, the league imposed numerous restrictions on players, coaches, and staff at Disney World. The isolation and loneliness caused a lot of emotional turmoil.
Perkins disagrees with Morey about the Lakers bubble championship
Despite emerging as winners in this one-of-a-kind setup for the NBA Finals, many fans and analysts had begun fueling a fake championship narrative around the Lakers. Recently, Morey reignited the topic, which did not sit well with former NBA player turned ESPN analyst Perkins.
"One could argue that it's probably the hardest championship to accomplish. Forget an asterisk when you talk about being away from your family, being basically locked up in one place, and probably having to eat the same damn food every single day. God knows what type of practice course they had to do. Seeing your opponent on a day-to-day basis, figuring out certain things. The pandemic was a toll on everybody in the world, let alone guys having to go down there and compete at the highest level," said Big Perk, who wanted to know whether Morey was even in the Bubble during the time.
Stories of players undergoing anxiety and depression
Staying away from family and loved ones can undoubtedly take a toll on anyone. Adding to it was the limited movement, with players only commuting between the hotel room and the practice facility. Eventually, it did take a mental and emotional toll on many of them.
Paul George, one such case, confessed to the Bubble getting the best of him.
"I underestimated mental health. I had anxiety. A little bit of depression. Us being locked in here, I just wasn't there. I just checked out," stated George.
Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown described his experience as being at work all the time. Veterans like Danny Green had noted that underperforming in the Bubble could have a profound impact on a player's mental health, given that there was little to do except use your phone. Not to mention, the social media trolling and criticism only made things worse.
Perkins highlighted the NBA's lockout season champions
Addressing the debate about the authenticity of the bubble championship, Perkins attempted to strengthen his argument by citing the 1998-99 and 2011-12 seasons.
"If that's the case, then we all say, you know what, every lockout year when the Spurs won it and the Miami Heat won it, let's put an asterisk by theirs too," said Big Perk.
In 1999, when the Spurs were named champions, the season was reduced to 50 games from 82 due to a lockout. Similarly, in 2012, when the Heat won, there were 66 games conducted in the regular season.
Perkins certainly makes a valid argument, especially since the situation has been the same for all the participants involved. He didn't hesitate to call out Morey, asking him to focus on the Joel Embiid situation in Philadelphia.This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 2, 2025, where it first appeared.