Who else thinks that the NBA championship title should not be referred to as the "World championship title"?

Question

I know it's been an issue for a long time now, but I still hear it sometimes... "The Boston Celtics are the 2008 WORLD CHAMPIONS!!!"

OK, so the USA has the best players, no doubt about that... but there are other countries.

So foreign players come to the NBA to play, but to only play US teams does not make a player a world champion.

Aren't the FIBA world champions THE ONLY champions that's truly worth calling worldwide ones?

Answer 1

Here is my take on this.

1) The U.S. were the originators of the sport (of basketball) so it comes with a sense of ownership (not that it's right but it's more of a tradition).

2) We have some of the best basketball athletes in the world (a tradition that may change as time goes on).

3) If the NBA didn't opened it's doors to foreign players to come over here and play, the competition gap between U.S. and the rest of the world might not be as close as it is right now. Believe it or not but foreign players come to the NBA and return to their country as better players.  It goes to show the amount of skillset and tactics required to win in this level of competition is more challenging.   Foreign players utilize the skills they learn in the NBA and bring back strategies and game plans used in NBA games back to their countries (Spain is a perfect example of this).  You don't see that happen in soccer or any international sport where so many athletes yearn to play for a certain country just so they could compete against/learn from the best.

Just my 2 cents on this topic.

Answer 2

Same as the "World Series". I totally agree. The winning club of a domestic league should NEVER be referred to as World Champions. Your point cannot be argued.  

Answer 3

cuz even a sucky team in the nba would beat a team in another league.

so basically the best nba team would destroy another international team

Answer 4

I completely agree with you man. that kinda pisses me off too. i mean calling yourself the nba champs is fine but when you call yourself world champs, thats just wrong. world champs mean you gotta face teams OUTSIDE the united states (toronto doesnt count). but i guess since nba is the best basketball league in the world, they think they can do that. I'd love to see a foreign team challenge an nba team and beat them. haha.

Im not hatin on the nba, im jus hatin on the fact that they think they can call themselves world champs when they face teams just in the u.s  

Answer 5

Good point!!So if the Celtics play a team from the euro league ,By what rules and can the euro team have NBA players on it ?

like Pau could not play because he plays for a NBA team.

Answer 6

this is what i call... pathetic. small. unimportant.

dude. its the world cup with soccer but technically the whole world isn't playing... so i think they should call it "MOST of the world cup." that sounds great.

now how do you suggest we fix the "Mr. Universe" body building competition?

how important is this?

Answer 7

look at the rosters, where are the world's best players playing?

a question for you: why do they call it the "World Series" in MLB...(hint- same reason)...

Answer 8

I AGREE!

The Olympics Should ONLY Have That Title...Cuz There R Tons Of Different Nations Coming Together ACROSS THE "WORLD"

Answer 9

world championship  title kinda sounds lame though

Answer 10

I totally agree, a world title is winning the olympics. That's when you play the top in the world, not the best from a bracket.

Answer 11

Well, this is similar to the MLB issue of the winners caleld the World Series Champions.  And, personally, I dont think ppl are even taking this issue as a real big deal, because the "World Champion" name is more of a title with little substance.

Ok, heres my point.  Basketball originated in the USA.  And yes, that doesnt automatically mean the USA will have the best players, but I think it should give the NBA the chance to use the "title". NBA is known world-wide.  The League is represented by so many players from so many countries.  I think NBA have players from about 100 countries give or take.  They are play togetther and its not like any team is populated solely with one ethnicity.  Everyone plays together.

Making it a melting pot of the talent all around the World.  Once again, World Champions is just a title.

Secondly, dont get the NBA and US mixed up.  I remember many ppl making the mistake that the US basketball team was the NBA team and its not.  The NBA is a seperate entity that only play their games based in the US.  And it also must be noted that there is one Canadian team.  

World Championship, just a title.  No one consider the team the best in the world.  

Answer 12

Well...why is it that players from foreign countries come to the U.S. to play in the NBA. The NBA is the ultimatum of the basketball world. Yes, there are other leagues, and yes, there is a sort of vain thought as world champions is said, but at the same time, I wouldn't doubt that an NBA team could beat a Euro-League basketball team. I'm not trying to defend the NBA either: If the Euro-League was the best basketball league in the world, then players would want to achieve the ultimatum of playing in the Euro League. The world's best players usually go to the most prestiged league, and the NBA is without a doubt that league. World Champions may be stretching it a bit, but it's something that is said without reason.

Answer 13

I hear ya but...it's just tradition. Lets face it, in america we play our own little sports and for 90% of the history of these sports you could probably say the NFL champion was the the best gridiron team in the world, the MLB champion was the best baseball team in the world and the NBA champion was the best basketball team in the world, there were no comparable leagues of the same quality anywhere.

Thats changed but it's been like that so long that it's a tradition. So in other words, no don't change it :-)

Answer 14

I agree with you. The U.S.A teams are not the best in the world anymore. There are very good teams outside the U.S. that can compete in the NBA.

Answer 15

Technically the NBA has the best players from around the world, meaning if a team wins they technically are the best in the world.

(Pau Gasol, Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, etc)