Gold Medalist Questions the NBA Champs Being Deemed "World" Champs

[NO-KG-AI]

It’s always fans of trash euroleague teams that are big mad about this.

[testerosa]

David Arquette was also world champion once

[theforumblue]

He manages to sound stupid tho so..

[Deivork]

I don't like this "world" thing and I would like it to disappear eventually. Yes, best team most likely but it's not a world championship so NBA champion should be enough imo.

[Nate505]

Actually, I found out not too long ago, that FIBA actually asked the NBA to stop claiming their league champions were NBA champions. Once the NBA stopped playing in an actual club world championship, they could no longer really legally make that claim.

The NBA champion could no longer "legally" make the claim that their champion were the NBA Champions? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard of.

[Nate505]

I've never understood why anyone gives a **** about this, other than people with massive inferiority complexes.

We all know the NBA champ doesn't play any sort of tournament against other club teams in the world to determine a "real" world champion. It's just some hyperbole that's pretty well earned by the winner of the best club basketball league, by far, in the world. And it's more well earned because there's no serious challengers from any other league.

If it was the EPL doing this, it would be less earned hyperbole because you could probably make some sort of arguments about La Liga/Serie A/Bundesliga being around the same level of talent, but you can't with basketball. Same with baseball or US football, or whatever the top league of Aussie Rules football is. And if the latter decided to call themselves "world champs" I couldn't possibly care less.

[msmoore66]

It's a bit more nuanced than is being made out.
- The view that it is the best league in the world, with most of the best players is fair. However;
- Isn't there a world champion about to be crowned soon? ... at the 'World Championships?'
- World Championships are generally competed for by National teams. Even in football, they World Club Championships winner isn't classed as the World Champion (or not that I have heard myself).
- Who really cares. Everyone knows they aren't the actual World Champion, but also knows they are the winner of the best league in the world in their sport.

[msmoore66]

Actually, I found out not too long ago, that FIBA actually asked the NBA to stop claiming their league champions were NBA champions. Once the NBA stopped playing in an actual club world championship, they could no longer really legally make that claim.

The NBA champion could no longer "legally" make the claim that their champion were the NBA Champions? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard of.

I'm assuming he meant to say 'World Champions' not 'NBA Champions'.

[Lockdown504090]

real madrid and Olympiakos dont want none of those problems with jok and murray. Does anyone still even call them world champions? its kinda a given that they played the best hoop on earth this year though.

could you even take all the best players not in the nba and beat denver in 7?

[ManyaWarrior]

The tournament that decides the world championship is the FIBA Intercontinental Cup, since nba teams dont want to go the G-league champions goes instead and of course the get blown out every single year. If you want to be called world champion just have the balls to travel to another country and beat Euroleague and BCLAmericas champions with FIBA rules

[Clav]

Calling the NBA champions the world champions is obviously completely absurd and totally ridiculous. like 99% of people outside of the USA think that's a ludicrous claim and just completely laugh at it, or even find it actually insulting and to be in very bad taste.

Regardless of what people in the US might think, it's considered an absolute joke by the vast majority of people elsewhere.

Right, an EL team can win a 1-game friendly in pre-season vs an NBA team playing its 3rd line. Take any league champion from any league in the past 20 years. List that roster vs any NBA champion in the past 20 years. Or even go further back in time if you feel so inclined. Whatever best team you find will win 0 to 1 games in a 7 game series vs the NBA champion of your choice.

+ Your claim about "99% of people outside the USA" is completely unsubstantiated. Thanks for the laugh.

And before you claim I'm only saying this because I'm American, I'm not.

[AussieCeltic]

He's right. Obviously the NBA champs would be favs against all other teams from overseas, but you actually can't prove it unless they play.

It's like calling the best regular season team the Champs because they were a #1 seed. Sure in most cases they're favs to win but it doesn't always happen - just ask the 73-9 Warriors.

USA always think they're going to win but it doesn't always happen. Just look at the last World Cup. They thought they'd breeze to an easy gold and finished 7th. Which is a lesson learnt. Until you play the game you can't prove it and it would need to be played each year because there would be different sides represented in a club finals.

BTW no other leagues call themselves the World Champs. Even Champions League which is clearly the pinnacle of club soccer and actually has all the major leagues represented.

Maybe Australia should start calling the AFL and Rugby League winners the World Champs

[AussieCeltic]

Calling the NBA champions the world champions is obviously completely absurd and totally ridiculous. like 99% of people outside of the USA think that's a ludicrous claim and just completely laugh at it, or even find it actually insulting and to be in very bad taste.

Regardless of what people in the US might think, it's considered an absolute joke by the vast majority of people elsewhere.

Right, an EL team can win a 1-game friendly in pre-season vs an NBA team playing its 3rd line. Take any league champion from any league in the past 20 years. List that roster vs any NBA champion in the past 20 years. Or even go further back in time if you feel so inclined. Whatever best team you find will win 0 to 1 games in a 7 game series vs the NBA champion of your choice.

+ Your claim about "99% of people outside the USA" is completely unsubstantiated. Thanks for the laugh.

And before you claim I'm only saying this because I'm American, I'm not.

But you can't prove it unless they actually play some sort of final.

They're the NBA Champions and that's where it should end.

[Jcity08]

I mean the NBA, for all its faults, has made a lot of effort to expand themselves globally and reach markets outside just the US alone. And the best players internationally usually find their way on an NBA team.

I have no problem calling an NBA championship team World Champions.

[WolfAddict]

He's right. Obviously the NBA champs would be favs against all other teams from overseas, but you actually can't prove it unless they play.

It's like calling the best regular season team the Champs because they were a #1 seed. Sure in most cases they're favs to win but it doesn't always happen - just ask the 73-9 Warriors.

USA always think they're going to win but it doesn't always happen. Just look at the last World Cup. They thought they'd breeze to an easy gold and finished 7th. Which is a lesson learnt. Until you play the game you can't prove it and it would need to be played each year because there would be different sides represented in a club finals.

BTW no other leagues call themselves the World Champs. Even Champions League which is clearly the pinnacle of club soccer and actually has all the major leagues represented.

Maybe Australia should start calling the AFL and Rugby League winners the World Champs

Roosters did it with a billboard in the states and were mocked relentlessly if you remember

[SWedd523]

I don't care if the NBA calls their champion the World Champion any more than I care if the Euroleague, Spanish League, Tibetan League, or the Eastern Michigan Fall Semester Intramural League wants to call themselves the World Champs.

Hell, from here on out, I'm going to refer to the NBA Champs as the Champions of the Universe. After all, MJ and the boys did beat the aliens from Moron Mountain.

The amount of heartburn some of you folks have over an unofficial title is frightening

[durden_tyler]

I don't care if the NBA calls their champion the World Champion any more than I care if the Euroleague, Spanish League, Tibetan League, or the Eastern Michigan Fall Semester Intramural League wants to call themselves the World Champs.

Hell, from here on out, I'm going to refer to the NBA Champs as the Champions of the Universe. After all, MJ and the boys did beat the aliens from Moron Mountain.

The amount of heartburn some of you folks have over an unofficial title is frightening

They can’t win the games, so they’d rather win the semantics. LOL

[AussieCeltic]

He's right. Obviously the NBA champs would be favs against all other teams from overseas, but you actually can't prove it unless they play.

It's like calling the best regular season team the Champs because they were a #1 seed. Sure in most cases they're favs to win but it doesn't always happen - just ask the 73-9 Warriors.

USA always think they're going to win but it doesn't always happen. Just look at the last World Cup. They thought they'd breeze to an easy gold and finished 7th. Which is a lesson learnt. Until you play the game you can't prove it and it would need to be played each year because there would be different sides represented in a club finals.

BTW no other leagues call themselves the World Champs. Even Champions League which is clearly the pinnacle of club soccer and actually has all the major leagues represented.

Maybe Australia should start calling the AFL and Rugby League winners the World Champs

Roosters did it with a billboard in the states and were mocked relentlessly if you remember

Really? I don’t remember this. But Rugby League does have a world club challenge so maybe it was after they won?

[JujitsuFlip]

Yeah, I think it’s kinda dumb that the US sports leagues champs are called “World Champs” especially the NFL. But yeah, I’m not losing sleep or getting bent out of shape if others want to say it. It’s not that deep

Who in the world could beat the Super Bowl champs in a game of American football?

[Xatticus]

You can call yourself whatever you want to. Does anyone throw a tizzy when someone introduces themselves as a grandmaster of funk?

For what it's worth, FIBA is older than the NBA. The NBA is an entertainment company with its own rules that happens to employ basketball players. It's a cartel of rich dudes that use a mutated version of an internationally recognized sport in an attempt to carve out a place in the US (and world) market(s) for professional sports entertainment. It exists independently of all basketball governing bodies (including US basketball), so it doesn't have a legitimate claim to anything beyond its limited scope.