Shane Garry Acedera

Former Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard has always insisted that if management had not broken up the Purple & Gold 2020 team after it won the bubble championship, they could have won a couple more titles.

During the recent episode of Howard’s “Above the Rim with DH12” podcast, Orlando Magic guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Dwight’s teammate on that 2020 Lakers team, not only agreed that they could have won at least two more championships if they stayed together, but he also said that would have settled the GOAT debate.

“That team, we had a lot of moments where everything just clicked for us.

Off the court, on the court, inviting to each other’s houses, we were just hanging out with each other.

Those were my brothers, I spent more time with my team than my family,” said Caldwell-Pope.

KCP believes the Lakers would have three-peated

Led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers captured one of the most disrespected championships in NBA history.

The COVID-19 pandemic halted the 2019-20 NBA season, but it resumed a couple of months later in a “bubble” set up at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

The Lakers defeated the Miami Heat 4-2 in the Finals, but critics diminished their championship as the “Mickey Mouse” title because it happened under unusual circumstances.

After winning the title, the team let go of Dwight, JaVale McGee, Danny Green, and Rajon Rondo and lost in the first round of the playoffs the following campaign.

Caldwell-Pope believes things would have unfolded differently if management had kept the team intact.

“I think if we kept that team together, we would’ve run off two more,” added KCP.

“There would be no more GOAT talk that would’ve put LeBron at six.”

James chasing Jordan’s ring total

If the Lakers three-peated back then, LeBron’s ring total would have reached six, matching the total of Michael Jordan, whom many say he is chasing for the title of “the greatest basketball player of all-time.” In the eyes of Caldwell-Pope, that would have settled the long-standing GOAT debate.

Although the 8th overall pick of the 2013 NBA Draft has a valid point, many would disagree with his claim.

That’s because even if LeBron equaled Michael’s championship total, MJ’s backers would argue that he went a perfect 6-0 in the championship series played, while LBJ has lost six times in the NBA Finals.

Aside from that, they would say that James won his rings by hopping around the league while Jordan won all of his organically.

The 2020 Los Angeles Lakers are one of the big “what ifs?” in NBA history.

As Caldwell-Pope and Howard said, that team wasn’t just loaded with talent; they played as one cohesive unit. Given that their two stars were at their peak, they could have dominated the league much longer, but it was not meant to be.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on May 28, 2025, where it first appeared.