George Karl rips Lakers’ number of championships over last 15 years: ‘2020 bubble rings don’t count’

The Los Angeles Lakers are credited with 17 NBA championships while the Denver Nuggets only have one, but former Nuggets head coach George Karl isn’t letting that get in his way.

Karl took to X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday and seemingly trolled the Lakers by saying that Denver and L.A. have the same number of NBA titles over the last 15 seasons if one excludes the Lakers’ 2020 bubble championship.

The Nuggets eliminated the Lakers in the 2023 NBA Playoffs en route to their first championship in franchise history, giving them one title over the last 15 seasons.

The Lakers, meanwhile, actually have three NBA titles over the last 15 seasons, but only two if their 2020 title is discounted. L.A.’s last title during the span came exactly 14 seasons ago when Kobe Bryant led the team to the promised land in the 2009-10 campaign.

Karl is likely just poking fun at the Lakers amid their budding rivalry with the Nuggets, but his comments may still get under the skin of some fans.

L.A. and Denver met on Tuesday to open the 2023-24 NBA campaign. The Nuggets took care of business, sending the Lakers to 0-1 on the young season with a 119-107 result.

The teams will meet two more times during the regular season and could certainly see each other again in the playoffs if the dominoes fall in the right ways. Both L.A. and Denver are seen as many by legitimate threats to win the Western Conference.

Some folks do truly believe that the Lakers’ 2020 NBA title holds less value than a typical championship, but the title remains meaningful to many fans of the Purple and Gold.

Regardless, LeBron James and Anthony Davis would certainly love nothing more than to give their 2020 Lakers championship some company, a goal that will undoubtedly be on their minds this season.

The Lakers will be back in action on Thursday against the Phoenix Suns, another top team in the West. A win over the Suns may give the Lakers some confidence and momentum as they look to get their footing ahead of a long regular season.