Kentavious Caldwell-Pope asserts the Lakers’ bubble championship was one of the hardest ever.
He disputes the notion that the 2020 title is worth less.
“They just hating, man,” Caldwell-Pope said on The Draymond Green Show, via HoopsHype.
“It’s one of the hardest championships to win,” he emphasized.
The Los Angeles Lakers won the 2020 NBA championship in the Orlando bubble.
Caldwell-Pope highlighted the difficulties of the season shutdown and restart.
“You don’t know if you’re even going to come back and play basketball,” he explained.
Caldwell-Pope described the uncertainty during the season’s pause due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“We saw how, in the regular season, we was playing,” he said.
“We was like, ‘What the f—.’ Season is over with, like damn.”
The Lakers had to mentally prepare for the championship despite the interruptions.
“Once we knew the season was starting back up in the bubble, we was hype,” Caldwell-Pope recalled.
The unique conditions of the bubble tested the players’ resolve.
“The season stopped again in the bubble,” he mentioned.
“These things like had people’s minds messed up like ‘I’m ready to go home. Forget basketball,’” he added.
Caldwell-Pope praised his teammates’ dedication during this challenging period.
“I’m so grateful and I appreciate all my teammates at the time,” he stated.
He emphasized the collective focus on winning the championship.
“Their mindset was on that championship. They were ready to go,” Caldwell-Pope said.
He acknowledged the mental toll the bubble environment took on players.
“For me, it was the hardest because of all the shutdown, restarting, shutdown,” he noted.
Caldwell-Pope appreciated the team’s resilience throughout the ordeal.
“That can change a lot of people’s mindsets. Like, ‘F— this. I’m not dealing with this anymore,’” he explained.
He expressed gratitude for his teammates’ unwavering commitment.
“I always appreciated that and thankful that everybody on the team at that time had the same mindset,” Caldwell-Pope said.
