NBA stars rip sprint king Lyles over 'world champ' claims

WASHINGTON: American NBA stars ripped world sprint king Noah Lyles on social media for comments saying he is offended when teams declare themselves "world champions" for winning an NBA crown.

US sprint star Lyles won the 100m and 200m titles and helped the US 4x100m relay capture gold at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.

But Lyles said he is offended when US sports league champions like those in the NBA declare themselves "world champions" after capturing a crown without facing global rivals.

"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," Lyles said.

"World champion of what? The United States?"

The NBA fills rosters with top talent from around the world, and its one franchise outside US borders, the Toronto Raptors, took the NBA crown to Canada in 2019.

The past five NBA Most Valuable Player awards went to players born in other lands - Greece's Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2019 and 2020, Serbian center Nikola Jokic of reigning NBA champion Denver in 2021 and 2022 and Joel Embiid of Cameroon this year.

NBA players would argue that they compete in the world's best league and deserve the label of global best.

"Somebody help this brother," wrote Phoenix's Kevin Durant, a two-time NBA champion and two-time NBA Finals MVP.

"When being smart goes wrong," wrote four-time NBA champion forward Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors.

Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns simply posted a facepalm emoji.

And Aaron Gordon of the reigning champion Denver Nuggets offered a bit of a challenge, writing, "Whatever... I'm smoking buddy in the 200m."

Lyles made the point that they only beat other US-based teams or the Raptors, not great squads from around the