The term ‘World Champions’ has been doing the rounds on the internet for the past few weeks. There are two factors which have contributed to this. They are the recently concluded FIBA World Cup and athletics champion, Noah Lyles. He had questioned the need to call the NBA champions the ‘World Champions’ which drew criticism from the likes of Kevin Durant and many others. Recently, LeBron James‘ former teammate came to his fellow NBA star’s rescue.

Kendrick Perkins knows a thing or two about being world champions. During a recent appearance on ESPN, the former NBA champion gave his two cents.

LeBron James’ former teammate dismisses Lyles’ claims

Whether Noah Lyles was correct or not is up for debate. However, there’s no denying that he managed to rattle the entire NBA world with just a few words.

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From former NBA champs to international rappers, everyone had something to say about Lyles’ controversial claims. Now, Perkins joined the long list of voices who have chimed in on the issue. “The NBA is a global brand meaning that we have players from all around the world that’s in the NBA. Four of them right now, are international players that are in my top 7 of best players in the world. So, anyone who wins the NBA title means that you are gonna get top competition from around the world. You are world champion, period. Its no other way around”, said Perkins.

He is not the first media personality to bash Lyles’ claims. Stephen A. Smith of ESPN had brutally dismissed the athletics champion’s claims live on television. However, he had to backtrack on his words following the United States of America’s heartbreaking exit from the FIBA World Cup at the hands of Germany in the Semi-Finals.

A former NBA champion disagreed with his peers

Although Lyles received a lot of backlash from a number of elite NBA players, there was one former NBA champion who came to his rescue. It is 2021 champion Giannis Antetokounmpo. “I wanted to back him up so bad, you know. He received so much backlash for saying the, like, obvious”, said the Milwaukee Bucks superstar as per Bleacher Report. He gave examples of the UEFA Champions League, which is the best soccer competition in Europe. 

The winners of the competition are just called Champions League winners, instead of World Champions, although the best players in the world play in that tournament. The 2-time MVP also asserted that the NBA is indeed the best league in the world. It has a talent pool like no other, however, the winners don’t deserve the ‘World Champion’ tags.

What are your thoughts on Noah Lyles’ comments? Let us know in the comments below.

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