As Devin Booker acknowledged, though, there was a fascinating NBA backdrop to the event that was impossible to ignore. Last summer, after Noah Lyles won the 100-meter final at the World Championships in Budapest and sat at the podium for his post-race news conference, he took issue with the fact that NBA champions are often referred to as “world champions.” The comment went viral, with American players such as Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard and, yes, Booker (who tweeted a face-palm emoji) sharing their disagreement on social media. Others, among them Greece native and Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, agreed with Lyles’ idea that, with all 30 NBA teams based in North America, the team that wins it all should be considered a league champion. With that context in mind, how did Booker find the experience? “I still don’t agree with the comment,” Booker told The Athletic. “I feel like all the best talent in the world is in the NBA, and this is coming from an Olympic gold medalist (who believes) that being an NBA champion is probably harder to do.”
Source: New York Times