Alex Caruso clarifies apparent diss of Lakers' 2020 NBA championship
The Oklahoma City Thunder won the 2025 NBA championship on Sunday by defeating the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. That means that once again, Los Angeles Lakers fans had to watch another team celebrate getting to the top of the basketball mountaintop.
The memories of the Lakers' 2020 title are starting to fade, and fans are growing restless for another ring, especially after some of the bad moves general manager Rob Pelinka has made in recent years.
One of those bad moves was letting super sub guard Alex Caruso leave in free agency in 2021. Caruso now has his second world championship ring, and following Sunday's win, he appeared to throw shade at the 2020 title that was won inside the Walt Disney World Resort bubble.
But he took to X (formerly known as Twitter) afterward to make it clear he was just cracking a sarcastic joke.
Many have refused to fully count that 2020 championship since it came under unique circumstances during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. There were no fans during the playoffs, as well as no travel, which made plenty claim it wasn't a legitimate postseason.
But at the same time, some players have opined that it was a tougher postseason because of the stringent restrictions imposed within the bubble. LeBron James recently said on his "Mind the Game" podcast that the conditions resulted in "the purest form of hoops" for those three months or so.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Spurs rumors: ESPN suggests Cam Johnson trade with Nets as ‘best fit'
The post Spurs rumors: ESPN suggests Cam Johnson trade with Nets as 'best fit' appeared first on ClutchPoints. This offseason, the San Antonio Spurs will be looking for ways to retool their team around superstar Victor Wembanyama, trade acquisition De'Aaron Fox, and Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle. The name the Spurs have been most frequently linked to is Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant, but the team will still have plenty of avenues to improve even if they can't acquire the future Hall of Famer. Advertisement Recently, ESPN floated a potential trade idea that would see the Spurs land a highly coveted sharpshooter, proposing that San Antonio deal guard Malaki Branham, forward Keldon Johnson, the 2025 No. 14 pick, and a 2029 first-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for forward Cam Johnson and the number 27 pick in this year's draft. Bobby Marks of ESPN noted that 'Johnson looks like an ideal fit. He averaged a career-high 18.8 points last season and has been a consistent 39% 3-point shooter who would space the floor as a stretch 4 alongside Wembanyama.' Johnson indeed had a career year last season for a bad Nets team and is a versatile defender to go along with his impressive offensive skill set. A big summer for the Spurs © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images It's not often that a team is in win-now mode just two years after drafting their franchise building block, but that's exactly the situation the Spurs now find themselves in due to how quickly Victor Wembanyama has ascended the NBA ranks. Advertisement Last year, Wembanyama's almost assured Defensive Player of the Year campaign was cut short due to a blood clot, but the star is expected to be back and fully healthy by the time next year rolls around. The Spurs are sure to compete in what figures to be a highly competitive arms race in the Western Conference this summer, with teams looking to reach the level of the conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder. Cam Johnson would certainly help space the floor for Wembanyama and Fox and would also provide the Spurs with some additional shot-creation to continue to put pressure on defenses. The Spurs will now look ahead to the NBA draft, which is slated to begin on June 25. Related: Spurs rumors: Ex-San Antonio VP reveals major hold up in Kevin Durant trade Related: Spurs rumors: Shams jabs 'body language police' after viral Kevin Durant trade moment
Fox Sports
28 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
Jrue Holiday being traded from Celtics to Trail Blazers, AP source says
Associated Press Jrue Holiday is being traded by Boston to Portland a year after helping the Celtics win the NBA championship, a person with knowledge of the details said early Tuesday. Holiday's acquisition from the Trail Blazers in 2023 helped spark the Celtics to their NBA-record 18th title, and now he's headed back to Portland from a Boston team that could now be in transition. ESPN reported that the Celtics would get Anfernee Simons and two second-round picks from the Trail Blazers. The departure of Holiday, who made his sixth career All-Defensive team selection in his first season in Boston, was confirmed to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal is not yet official. Holiday was traded by the Milwaukee Bucks to Portland in September 2023 when the Bucks acquired perennial All-Star Damian Lillard. Holiday was then dealt days later to the Celtics, moving right into the starting lineup and eventually earning his second career title last June. But the Celtics have now lost a second member of that starting lineup for at least part of next season, with All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum having surgery after an Achilles tendon injury in the loss to the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals. ___ AP NBA: recommended
Associated Press
33 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Jrue Holiday being traded from Celtics to Trail Blazers, AP source says
Jrue Holiday is being traded by Boston to Portland a year after helping the Celtics win the NBA championship, a person with knowledge of the details said early Tuesday. Holiday's acquisition from the Trail Blazers in 2023 helped spark the Celtics to their NBA-record 18th title, and now he's headed back to Portland from a Boston team that could now be in transition. ESPN reported that the Celtics would get Anfernee Simons and two second-round picks from the Trail Blazers. The departure of Holiday, who made his sixth career All-Defensive team selection in his first season in Boston, was confirmed to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal is not yet official. Holiday was traded by the Milwaukee Bucks to Portland in September 2023 when the Bucks acquired perennial All-Star Damian Lillard. Holiday was then dealt days later to the Celtics, moving right into the starting lineup and eventually earning his second career title last June. But the Celtics have now lost a second member of that starting lineup for at least part of next season, with All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum having surgery after an Achilles tendon injury in the loss to the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals. ___ AP NBA:
