Lakers Champion Takes Major Shot at LeBron James' 2020 Bubble Ring

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ashish Mathur | Last updated May 28, 2025 12:31 PM ET

NBA legend LeBron James joined the Los Angeles Lakers in the summer of 2018 as an unrestricted free agent.

James' first season with the Lakers wasn't that great, as the leading scorer in NBA history only appeared in 55 games due to a groin injury and Los Angeles missed the playoffs.

During the 2018-19 season, Anthony Davis requested a trade from the New Orleans Pelicans and wanted to be traded to the Lakers. New Orleans and Los Angeles completed the blockbuster Davis trade in the summer of 2019.

Behind James and Davis, the Lakers were elite on both ends of the court in 2019-20. They were 11th in the NBA in points per game and fourth in points per game allowed.

Due to COVID, the NBA suspended the 2019-20 season in March but restarted the campaign in July at the Walt Disney World bubble in Orlando, Florida.

The Lakers were the No. 1 seed in the West and beat the Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets to advance to the NBA Finals.

Los Angeles faced James' old team, the Miami Heat, in the 2020 NBA Finals. The Lakers won the series in six games, with James winning his fourth title and fourth Finals MVP.

However, many don't count the Lakers' 2020 championship as a "real" ring since it was played in the bubble with no fans or travel.

Ron Harper, who won three rings with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls and two titles with Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, is one of the people.

"What 2020 title the bubble gum ring?" Harper posted on X.

Harper was responding to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's quote about how the Lakers should have kept the 2020 title roster together.

Jordan's former teammate, who never minces words on X, isn't counting Los Angeles' 2020 championship, even though many players who played in the bubble said it was the toughest ring to win.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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