Rivers Sardonically Comments on Double Standards: If Anyone Other Than James Had Won in the Bubble Season, There Might Have Been No Controversy

September 23 news, Austin Rivers, the guard of the Los Angeles Lakers, recently shared his views on the Lakers’ championship win during the 2019-20 season’s bubble in Orlando, Florida. Rivers believes that LeBron James has received too much criticism and feels that if someone other than James had won the championship, there would have been no doubts raised about this victory.

“This is not a Mickey Mouse ring,” Rivers said. “I don’t want to say it was the hardest. I think everyone was starting from the same starting line. I feel it’s no different from any other year’s championship. I just think if it wasn’t James who won, nobody would be saying anything. Everyone hates on James. Actually, everyone loves James, but he gets a lot of criticism.”

The 2019-20 season was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, requiring all playoff teams to compete within the “bubble” in Orlando, Florida—not just the Lakers. As Rivers mentioned, every team faced the same conditions, but the Lakers performed exceptionally well in those playoffs, winning their series in the first round, second round, and Western Conference Finals in just five games each. James and his teammates met the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals and clinched the series with six wins, earning James his fourth NBA championship and his fourth NBA Finals MVP title.

While some NBA fans might think the 2020 NBA Finals were not as challenging to win, the Lakers were still the deserving champions of that season. Throughout his career, James has faced numerous tough Finals journeys, notably the 2015-16 season when his Cleveland Cavaliers overcame the Golden State Warriors, who had set an NBA record with 73 wins and 9 losses in the regular season. Not only did the Cavaliers face a 1-3 deficit in the 2016 NBA Finals against the Warriors, but James led them to a comeback, ultimately winning the series in seven games.

James will turn 40 in the upcoming season, but he still demonstrated last season that he is one of the best players in the league. He averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game, shooting 54.0% from the field and 41.0% from three-point range.