The 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup is underway, and so is a controversial debate about whether the NBA champions can be called the world champions. The debate was sparked by a recent interview with American sprinter Noah Lyles, who claimed that the NBA title does not equal the world title. His statement drew backlash from many NBA stars, including Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Damian Lillard and others. The topic also attracted the attention of several players and commentators who are involved in the World Cup.

One of them was renowned analyst Stephen A. Smith, who had this to say: “First of all, I want to acknowledge Lyles’ greatness, and I hope he continues to represent this country in his own way, but he just showed his ignorance with his statement. The point is, the NBA has become a global iconic brand, where the best players in the world play. There are many top players from different countries who come to this league.”

Another one was Tyrese Haliburton, who is playing for Team USA in the World Cup. He said: “I really don’t understand what he meant by that, because the NBA is undoubtedly the best league in the world. But obviously this is not the smartest response, we need to let the NBA league continue to soar.”

But not everyone agreed with this view, as Evan Fournier of France expressed his disdain for it. He said: “If you participate in the World Cup or the Olympics, and then you win, then of course you have the right to call yourself the world champion. But in my opinion, NBA champion? That’s just a title.” It is worth noting that Fournier has won a bronze medal in the World Cup and a silver medal in the Olympics, but has never come close to winning an NBA championship.

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