Lyles contended that the NBA is just a domestic organization in America, and although it has many players from different countries, it does not represent all countries, and it cannot claim the title of world champion.
Lyles added: “This is the world here, almost every country is here fighting, putting up their flags, showing that they represent their country. There are no flags in the NBA. We do more, we (the competition) represent the world.”
Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro responded to this, but his response was questioned by more people. Herro replied: “The NBA is the best league in the world, that’s why the NBA champion is the world champion!”
Herro’s reply directly irritated many netizens, who said that this was too unreasonable, and that this was trying to force the honor of world champion on the NBA, so there were various counterarguments from netizens.
Some netizens said that China’s table tennis is the best in the world, so can they also call their domestic league champion as the world champion?
Some netizens listed other sports events, such as the Champions League, and asked if these champions could be defined as world champions?
Some netizens also expressed support, saying that the NBA has the best players in the world, and the strongest strength, so it should be the world champion.
