Apr 7, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard (39) during the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Former 76ers Center Defends Controversial NBA Championship

Originally posted on Philadelphia 76ers on SI
By Eric Jay Santos | Last updated Jul 5, 2025 7:48 PM ET

The 2020 NBA championship is considered one of the most controversial titles in recent sports history. Many fans place an asterisk next to the Los Angeles Lakers’ victory because of the unconventional conditions within the biosecure bubble at Walt Disney World.

Dwight Howard on why people try to discredit the Lakers 2020 championship in the NBA Bubble:

"it's because they didn't win (...) because it's the Lakers, because it's a team with LeBron on it ... it's something that's still be talked about."@CBSSports https://t.co/LmdIWxMFTo pic.twitter.com/D0GS4oDRvX
— Ashley Nicole Moss (@AshNicoleMoss) July 3, 2025

In an interview with CBS Sports’ Ashley Nicole Moss, former Philadelphia 76ers center Dwight Howard suggested that skepticism of the championship’s validity is a way to discredit the Lakers and LeBron James.

“It’s because they didn’t win,” Howard said. “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 explained that all teams played under the same conditions in the bubble.

“Everybody can talk about, ‘Oh, there were no fans, there’s no this or that,'” Howard 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.”

Many players spoke publicly about the negative experiences they had in the bubble. Joel Embiid, for example, disliked the food, and Paul George admitted it impacted his mental health. Still, while there were mixed reactions to the NBA’s COVID-19 plan, the league was successful in finishing its playoffs and crowning a champion under fair conditions.