The Los Angeles Lakers had a great group during the 2019-20 season. That was the first season LeBron James played with Anthony Davis, which eventually led to a championship win while they were in the Bubble. They had a chance to defend their title the following season, but the management made a few changes that disrupted their core group.
It remains one of the biggest “what ifs” in the NBA. In the recent guest appearance of Lakers owner Jeanie Buss on the show “Games With Names,” she was honest with her sentiment about the group not having a chance to defend their title.
“I will say, that I kind of came from the philosophy, kind of inspired by Phil Jackson, that when a team wins a championship, they should have the right to defend their championship. And we didn’t do that, and I regret that,” Buss said (56:54).
Buss revealed that she apologized to one of the players from that championship group, Markieff Morris.
“One of the players on the list, Markieff Morris, just re-joined the team in the trade for Luka [Doncic]. He was one of the players that came and I told him, ‘I’m really sorry that we didn’t get a chance for you to defend that championship and I’m really glad you’re here’.”
During the 2020-21 season, the Los Angeles Lakers finished with a 42-30 record as the seventh seed. Unfortunately, this led the team to go a different path and trade some of the most important players of the title team.
Overall, their 2020 chip was the only achievement the team had during the James-Davis era.
LeBron James missed having Morris as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers
James was reunited with his former teammate, Morris, following the blockbuster Doncic deal. During their title run, the veteran forward was a vocal leader in the locker room. Having him back was a significant matter for the four-time champion, who admitted that he missed his teammate.
“I missed him…We’ve been in the foxhole together. We’ve been on the floor during big games together. And there’s someone whose opinion I value very much when I come off the floor. He’s watching it. He’s seeing it. I’m just happy to have him back. It’s great to see him,” said James.
With Morris back, the Lakers have another vocal leader in the group.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
