Is Noah Lyles right that the NBA champions are not world champions?

Team USA's Noah Lyles is dominating the world 200m, running at 19.50 second time, and looks capable of becoming a great 100m runner as well.

It's unlikely that athletics will find a star as charismatic as Jamaican legend Usain Bolt, but Lyles is en route to surpass the Sprinting great, running faster than Bolt did at the same age.

Despite his brilliance on the track, Lyles has caused a storm in America after suggesting that the NBA champions should not call themselves world champions.

According to Eurosport, Lyles said: "You know, the thing that hurts me the most is I have to watch the NBA finals, and they have 'world champion' on their head."

"World champion of what? The United States? Don't get me wrong, I love the US at times, but that isn't the world. We are the world."

For many American sports fans, it seems logical to call their teams world champions if they win the MLB, NFL, NBA, or NHL, as their leagues are the highest level of competition in the world for their respective sports.

After the MLB 'World Series' was played in 1903, the title of world champion has subsequently stuck in all four major American leagues.

A whole host of old and current NBA players have had a nerve struck by Lyles' comments, with the likes of Kevin Durant, Damien Lillard, Devin Booker, and Draymond Green all calling him out.

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith had his say on the matter on ESPN's 'First Take,' saying Lyles was 'ignorant' for his comments made at the press conference.

According to @FirstTake on X, Smith said: "The NBA currently features 120 players from 40 countries and six continents on its roster for last season, and it's increased now."

"So how is that not global? How is that not the world champions? The best players from around the world descend upon America to join the National Basketball Association."

It's a fair argument to suggest that if the best players in the world go their and play, then the team who wins in the end is the best in the world.

However, by that logic, the UEFA Champions League winners should be world champions because the champions of Europe have beaten the best teams in the world due to the best players playing in Europe.

European football has a much more diverse bunch of players competing, and the Champions League has hosted over 30 countries compared to the NBA hosting two.

If the NBA teams were the official world champions, then the Olympics and the FIBA World Cup wouldn't need to exist, but Team USA hasn't won every single Olympics and World Cup competition.

According to thesporting.blog, basketball is the seventh most popular sport in the world, with over 450 million players, making the sport worldwide and not just in North America.

The argument is there on both sides, with the NBA champions being the best team on the planet, but with the sport being global, it can come across as arrogance for the rest of the world.