“I think he’s right, technically” – Paul George shares his perspective on Noah Lyles’ ‘World Champion’ comment with a twist

LA Clippers forward Paul George somehow agrees to the dissenting take of American athletics star Noah Lyles on NBA champions being referred to as "World Champions." But he still believes there is nothing wrong with the term considering the league is home to the best basketball action on the planet.

Lyles hit the headlines recently for saying that it is a misuse of the term “world champion” for the winner of the NBA Finals at a post-meet news conference:

“You know the thing that hurts me the most is that 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 U.S., at times, but that ain't the world. That is not the world.”

Lyles’ opinion elicited mixed reactions, including from Paul George, who said he understands where the 26-year-old track-and-field sprinter is coming from.

On "Podcast P with Paul George," the eight-time NBA All-Star said:

“I think he’s right, technically. … From his perspective as a USA athlete, he’s right about being a world champion when competing on that scale and winning the gold medal. But, if you’re in the NBA, which is the best of the best in basketball with players from various countries, then you’re a world champion.”

To support Paul George’s assertion, as per available data, before the start of last season, the NBA rosters featured 120 international players from 40 countries and six continents.

That included a record number of players from Canada (22) and Australia (10) and a record-tying five players from Nigeria.

It marked the first time that opening-night rosters had at least 120 international players in consecutive seasons and the ninth straight season that opening-night rosters featured at least 100 international players. All 30 NBA teams featured at least one international player.

Number of international players in the 2022-23 NBA season

For the ninth straight year, Canada was the most represented nation outside of the U.S., followed by Australia, France (nine players) and Germany (six players). Nigeria, Serbia and Spain each had five.

A total of 58 players on the opening-night rosters came from Europe, including All-NBA first-team members the previous season Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee/Greece), Luka Doncic (Dallas/Slovenia) and 2021-22 MVP Nikola Jokic (Denver/Serbia).

Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic of Serbia

The Toronto Raptors had eight international players, marking the second consecutive season the Raptors led the league, followed by the Dallas Mavericks, Indiana Pacers and the Sacramento Kings with seven international players each. The OKC Thunder and Utah Jazz each had six.