“I love the U.S… but that ain’t the world!” ❌ Noah Lyles throws shade at the NBA’s ‘world champions’
I have to watch the NBA Finals and they have world champion on their heads. World champion of what? The United States? Don’t get me wrong. I love the U.S. at times. But that ain’t the world… We are the world. We have almost every country out here fighting and thriving and putting on a flag to show that they are represented. There ain’t no flags in the NBA.
You are the World Athletics Championship champion because you won by competing against the best in the world, the same is true in the NBA.
I find the whole thing a strange debate. The USA Track and Field National Trials are known as some of the most competitive in the world and you might argue the competition is as competitive as an international competition. But it’s not. Nobody who wins Nationals would call themselves a World Champion.
The NBA Championship might contain the best players in the world but it is not an international competition. It is open only to American teams and to people who have work visas in America (minus one team in Canada). It’s the height of American ignorance to fall it a World Championship.
As far as I know this isn’t done in hockey. NHL players don’t call themselves World Champions.
I don’t really understand why this is controversial. It doesn’t invalidate the dominance of American basketball. It only serves to highlight how absolutely ignorant Americans are and their belief that the world centres around USA USA USA.
Let me get this right. You made up a league only open to American teams and Americans or foreigners with work visas in America. And then you call yourselves the World Champions? Does that sound weird?