Philadelphia 76ers: ESPN Analyst Calls For Daryl Morey to Be Fired After Nightmare 2024-25 Campaign 5 Dec 15, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers resident of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey speaks with the media before a game against the Detroit Pistons at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

'Of Course, I Respect That Title' – Philadelphia 76ers GM Defends Viral Quote Discrediting the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2020 Title

Originally posted on Hardwood Heroics | By Jordan Samar | Last updated Jul 31, 2025 9:17 AM ET

Philadelphia 76ers general manager Daryl Morey received a lot of flak for his viral quote about the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2020 NBA championship, where he seemed to question the legitimacy of the title.

“Had the (Houston) Rockets won the title, I absolutely would have celebrated it as legitimate, knowing the immense effort and resilience required. Yet, everyone I speak to around the league privately agrees that it doesn’t truly hold up as a genuine championship,” Morey told The Athletic’s Joe Vardon.

However, after seeing the reaction to that quote, the Philadelphia 76ers exec said that he didn’t mean any harm by what he said.

Dec 15, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers resident of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey speaks with the media before a game against the Detroit Pistons at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

“I’m frustrated. Of course, I respect that title. I defend it to people all the time. It’s the thing I want the most,” Morey told Anthony Irwin of ClutchPoints. “I can see why you would have taken it that way, and that would’ve made me mad too.”

Philadelphia 76ers star receives advice from Former Sixth Man of the Year

In other Philadelphia 76ers-related news, former NBA journeyman Eddie Johnson recently dissected the real reason behind Joel Embiid’s injuries.

Feb 22, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) holds his leg after a play against the Brooklyn Nets during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

“He plays hard. People can get on Embiid all they want, like, based on the shape that he’s in, the dude does play hard. He’s going to try to defend the rim, he’s going to try to do things, and I think that’s part of his issue,” Johnson said about Embiid on SiriusXM NBA Radio.

“When you’re trying to play as hard as he does sometimes, and you’re out of shape, you’re gonna get injured. You’re gonna get injured when you’re trying to play hard. I think that’s the realization he has to come to,” he added.