Dwight Howard Defends Lakers’ Controversial NBA Championship Win

Orlando, Florida – The 2020 NBA championship remains one of the most debated titles in recent sports history. Many fans have placed an asterisk next to the Los Angeles Lakers‘ victory, citing the unusual conditions of the biosecure bubble at Walt Disney World.

In a recent interview with CBS Sports’ Ashley Nicole Moss, former Lakers center Dwight Howard suggested that questioning the championship’s legitimacy is an attempt to undermine the team’s accomplishments, notably those of star player LeBron James. “It’s because they didn’t win,” Howard stated. “Why would you discredit something if you did it? We won. If another team would have won, they’d say they won. But because it’s the Lakers, because it’s a team with LeBron on it, you got a lot of polarizing players in that same team, it’s something that’s still being talked about. But I got my ring.”

Howard emphasized that all teams faced the same challenges in the bubble. “Everybody can talk about, ‘Oh, there were no fans, there’s no this or that,'” he said. “That’s what makes it harder. Why? For both teams, there are no fans in the stands, so now you can go out there and just focus on what’s going on in the game, which is winning. You’re going to get the highest quality from all the players.”

While many players expressed their struggles during the bubble, with Joel Embiid criticizing the food and Paul George revealing the impact on his mental health, the NBA succeeded in completing its playoffs. The league crowned a champion under what it deemed to be fair conditions.