Ever since the Los Angeles Lakers won the 2020 NBA championship inside the Walt Disney World Resort bubble during the nadir of the COVID-19 pandemic, many have attempted to attack the legitimacy of that championship. There have been plenty of unflattering monikers for that title, including “Mickey Mouse championship” and “Disney championship.”
For a while, such comments were made mostly by fans and podcasters. But now, a prominent media organization has joined in the disrespect.
NBC Sports Boston displayed a graphic to illustrate how the Boston Celtics have now surpassed the Lakers in total NBA titles with 18. But the graphic included a footnote that said of the Lakers’ 17 world championships: “Includes Disney World title.”
It doesn’t make sense for one to put an asterisk next to that 2020 Lakers championship when one considers the Lakers established themselves as the best team in basketball starting early that season. They played 72 of the full 82-game schedule, and L.A. held the best record in the Western Conference for much of the season and ended up with a 52-19 record.
If the team had finished in the middle of the playoff pack and then powered its way to the Larry O’Brien Trophy, perhaps one could debate how much the pandemic and the bubble environment were a factor. But this was a case where the Lakers simply affirmed what they started to prove in November and December: that they were the best basketball team in the world that season.