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The gold-medal-winning sprinter from America, Noah Lyles recently made fun of NBA players who refer to themselves as "world champions" after winning the NBA championship, saying that finishing last in an American league does not call for such distinctions. Lyles' jab attracted a lot of attention from players, the media, and fans, sparking a discussion that hasn't subsided and led to superstar Milwaukee Bucks player Giannis Antetokounmpo just coming out in support of Lyle's statement.
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“You know the thing that hurts me the most is that I have to watch the NBA Finals, and they have ‘world champions’ on their heads. World Champion of what? The United States? Don’t get me wrong, but that ain’t the world,” Noah Lyles stated in a press conference.
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In the most recent episode of the "48 Minutes" podcast, Giannis Antetokounmpo stood tall beside the 26-year-old American phenomenon when the majority of NBA superstars on the planet bashed him. “I wanted to back him up so bad. He received so much backlash for saying the obvious,” Antetokounmpo stated in defense of Lyles.
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“But I think some people don’t understand it. Maybe it’s just an arrogance thing. I don’t think in any other sport you are called the ‘world champions.’ Soccer, which is way bigger than the NBA, is more popular than the NBA. When the Champions League is over, they don’t say ‘world champion.’ In the World Cup, when they play against the USA team, teams around the world, and countries around the world, then they say ‘world champs.’ But in the NBA, you say ‘world champs,” stated the power forward.
Germany recently defeated Serbia in the 2023 FIBA World Cup final after defeating Team USA in the semifinal. Giannis considers the Germans to be the only legitimate world champions.
