Shaquille O’Neal argues that LeBron James’ 2020 NBA title should be as respected as Tim Duncan’s 1999 victory.
SAN ANTONIO — Some have argued that the San Antonio Spurs 1999 NBA title deserves an asterisk because it came during a lockout-shortened season.
And that topic resurfaced once again courtesy of Shaquille O’Neal.
Addressing whether or not LeBron James’ 2020 title won during the league’s “bubble season” during the COVID pandemic should be a blemish on his resume, Shaq compared it to Tim Duncan winning the title in 1999 over the Knicks.
“But he (James) won a championship with the Lakers, and a lot of people try to discredit it. If that one doesn’t count, then you can’t count Mr. [Tim] Duncan’s bubble championship either,” he said to ScoopB.com. “That’s right. I said it! If we’re counting Tim Duncan’s lockout-year championship, then you have to count LeBron’s too.”
Ultimately, an NBA title is an NBA title, no matter how a team earned it. Both James’ Lakers in 2020 and Duncan’s 1999 team had to go through still a standard playoff tournament en route to their respective titles.
Duncan would lead the Spurs to four more titles in 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014.
AUSTIN SPURS TO HOST WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS IN 2025 NBA G LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
The NBA G League announced the Austin Spurs will host a Western Conference Semifinal game in the 2025 NBA G League Playoffs on Thursday, April 3 at 8 p.m. CT at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park.
Austin will play the winner of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers vs. Salt Lake City Stars playoff series, which will be played on April 1.
Heading into the playoffs, Austin is the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference after finishing the regular season 22-12 (32-18 overall), tying with the Stockton Kings for the best record in the Western Conference. The Spurs rank first in defensive rating (102.3), third in steals per game (10.1), and fourth in both blocks per game (6.6) and rebounds per game (48.4).
The game will air live on Tubi.
Fans can sign up for the Austin Spurs fan club to get first access to playoff ticket offers. Thursday’s game will include free kids’ tickets and a chance for fans age 14 and under to shoot free throws on the court afterward. Tickets are on sale now.
For more information, call the Austin Spurs office at (512) 236-8333 or go to austinspurs.com.