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Markieff Morris confirms Kobe’s passing had an impact on Lakers’ title

By Jason Reed

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 04: Markieff Morris #88 of the Los Angeles Lakers dunks the ball during the first half against the Miami Heat in Game Three of the 2020 NBA Finals at AdventHealth Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on October 04, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 04: Markieff Morris #88 of the Los Angeles Lakers dunks the ball during the first half against the Miami Heat in Game Three of the 2020 NBA Finals at AdventHealth Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on October 04, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images) /
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After one of the worst decades in franchise history, the Los Angeles Lakers once again reached the mountaintop in 2020. The 17th championship in franchise history was the fourth for LeBron, first for Anthony Davis and was something that Lakers fans were craving for a decade.

It was unlike any other championship in sports history, though. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lakers’ 2020 title was won in a manufactured bubble in Disney World. The Lake Show didn’t get to fly home to a parade in Los Angeles, the team instead had to parade around in their Disney property after winning.

It still felt great for Lakers fans, especially after what the Lakers family went through in 2020. In addition to the pandemic, the world lost Lakers icon Kobe Bryant in January of 2020. No amount of basketball success will ever make that pain go away, but the purple and gold knew that they had to go out and win the whole damn thing for the greatest Laker to ever live.

Markieff Morris confirmed that as such on a recent episode of the ‘All The Smoke’ podcast. Not only was the team hungry to win it all in the bubble, but according to Morris, the Lakers were one of the main proponents of having the bubble since they knew they had a legitimate chance of winning it all.

Markieff Morris confirms Kobe’s passing had an impact on the Lakers’ 2020 title

The Lakers were playing for something bigger than themselves. The team grinded through the bubble and put themselves in an uncomfortable situation not just to bring home championship gold, but to help a city (that so desperately needed it) heal.

Nothing encompasses this more than Anthony Davis’ game-winning shot in Game 2 of that year’s Western Conference Finals. After draining the game-winning three, there was only one thing that Davis could yell: Kobe. Davis was one of us and instead of being in a bubble competing for a title, he felt like someone in the classroom shooting paper balls into the waste bin.

The journey that the 2020 Lakers certainly will get a documentary someday. From the Anthony Davis trade right before the season, to Kobe’s passing, to a multiple-month shutdown, to a never-before-seen bubble. So much happened to the purple in gold that season and despite it all, they still ended up on top.

For Kobe.

Next. Ranking the 24 worst starters of the Kobe Bryant era. dark

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