Nearly a year ago today, Olympic Track and Field athlete Noah Lyles uttered the phrase that frustrated the NBA community.
Lyles said he was upset that the NBA and other American sports leagues hang banners calling themselves world champions. He then added the infamous phrase, “Champions of what, the United States?”
His claim is that because leagues only represent one country and do not compete against others, they have no right to call themselves world champions.
I do not have an issue with what Lyles said. It is his opinion, and he has every right to it, but when you look deeper, you can see that his claim is rather flawed.
The NBA is the best basketball league on the planet, bar none. The goal for every hooper is to make it to the NBA, not the NBL, the BAL, or even the Big 3 league. Every great hooper strives to make the NBA.
The NBA has players from all around the world, including Giannis Antetokounmpo from Greece, Nikola Jokic from Serbia, Joel Embiid from Cameroon and several others. When a league has the best talent from around the globe, how can you not declare yourself a world champion when you win the NBA Finals? You faced the best talent in the world.
The words of Lyles motivated NBA players to compete in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. They were out to prove that America has the best basketball in the world and has every right to call their league world champions.
The “Avengers Assembled,” including Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and more suited up to represent the United States this summer and put on a show for the ages.
James and the United States defeated Nikola Jokic and Serbia 110-84 in their first game, setting the tone for the rest of the games. They defeated South Sudan, Puerto Rico, Brazil and Serbia a second time to carve their path to the gold medal game, where they competed against Victor Wembanyama and France in their own country.
While James was the best performer for Team USA throughout the Olympics, Steph Curry went ballistic in the finals, hitting multiple three-pointers to give Team USA a 98-87 win over France 98-87 For their fifth consecutive gold medal in Men’s Basketball.
This proved that the NBA’s biggest stars can dominate on a global stage. No NBA fans ever doubted Team USA and their abilities, yet one man did.
As a massive NBA fan and an American, thank you, Noah Lyles. Without your claim, Team USA would not have been as motivated. You gave them bulletin board material, and they showed up and showed out.
You cannot ask, “Champions of what?” They are now champions of the world.
The Slate welcomes thoughtful discussion on all of our stories, but please keep comments civil and on-topic. Read our full guidelines here.