A surprise took place at this year’s FIBA World Cup when Germany defeated Team USA in the semifinal round and then upended Serbia to claim the competition’s gold medal.
There has been a recent debate about who is worthy of being called the world champions of basketball — is it the NBA champion, which is currently the Denver Nuggets, the FIBA World Cup gold medal team, or the squad that wins the gold medal at the Olympics?
This debate was sparked by recent comments that came from Noah Lyles, an American track and field athlete who has won a number of international competitions.
Germany’s Dennis Schroder was asked by ESPN’s Malika Andrews if his national team should be called the world champions of basketball, and he pretty much said yes.
Who are the official World Champions? 👀 @DS17_FG tells @malika_andrews his opinion on the debate 😅 pic.twitter.com/yVk2qH4iy8
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) September 12, 2023
Some would say the only way to win a world championship is to be a team representing an entire country in a competition against all other nations.
However, there are very few people, if any, who feel the German national team would defeat the Nuggets in a game, let alone a best-of-seven series.
In addition, many of the best players in the world weren’t competing in this World Cup, whether it was due to injury or simply a lack of desire.
On the other hand, all the best players in the world play in the NBA season after season, and even foreign players may be starting to prioritize their NBA careers over their national team careers.
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