In This Story
Houston Rockets
Los Angeles Lakers
Philadelphia 76ers
San Antonio Spurs
Aug 3, 2025 1:56 PM EDT
As the NBA offseason trudges on, the media can’t help but bring up “hot takes” to keep the cycle of content churning. We won’t pretend to be above that; it’s a part of the league calendar!
Last week, Philadelphia 76ers president Daryl Morey questioned the legitimacy of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2020 championship, which was won in the COVID-19 “Bubble” in Orlando.
Of course, fans and experts alike were quick to point out that if the Houston Rockets, whom Morey led during the 2020 season, won the title, he would be the first to say that their ring was “real.”
So, how are the San Antonio Spurs involved? Their first ring, won in 1999, was earned at the end of a lockout season that was shortened to only 50 games. At the time, the 1999 Finals were given an asterisk of their own, although the Spurs, unlike the 2020 Lakers, didn’t waste time in proving any doubters wrong.
“The Lakers got the 16 wins that no one else could get,” argued The Athletic’s Law Murray “Asterisk talk is always insufferable, and it all started with a Lakers coach trying to invalidate what Gregg Popovich and the 1999 San Antonio Spurs achieved. At least that team won another title within five years.”
After 1999, the Spurs won four more championships and ran away with 18 straight 50-win seasons.
After winning the “Bubble” championship, the Lakers have gotten past the first round only once, so maybe Morey is onto something.
Still, heading into the bubble, every team was at the same disadvantage, and given the shared circumstances, it’s hard to argue that LA wasn’t the best team that year. In 1999, the Spurs certainly were!
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Jonah Kubicek