Many NBA players and figures wrote off Noah Lyles’ recent comment that a team winning the Finals shouldn’t be called “world champions.”
But one of the biggest names in the league actually agrees with Lyles – or at least he did years ago.
SLAM Online, via Legion Hoops, dug up a quote from San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich from 2010.
Back then, Popovich said, “It doesn’t make sense for an NBA team to call themselves world champions.”
He then said, “I don’t remember anybody playing anybody outside our borders to get that tag.”
Gregg Popovich in 2010:
“It doesn’t make sense for an NBA team to call themselves world champions. I don’t remember anybody playing anybody outside our borders to get that tag.”
(via @SLAMonline) pic.twitter.com/O7wShAZg73
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) August 29, 2023
This resurfaced comment could definitely keep the conversation around Lyles’ comment alive.
For many, it’ll stir the pot and lead to more discussion about who is right and wrong.
If the season had already started, there is no doubt that reporters would ask Popovich about this comment during a press conference.
Knowing Popovich, he would have likely spoken frankly about his current position on the matter.
It doesn’t matter what the victors of the Finals are called, it is still a massive honor.
For an entire year, the team that wins is considered the very best in the league.
Popovich knows all about that honor.
Since taking over the Spurs back in 1996-97, he has led the Spurs to five championship victories.
Back in 2010, he was a few years away from the team’s fifth Finals win.
Now 74 years old, some people believe that Popovich’s chances of winning another before he retires are gone.
But he is about to start a new chapter in Spurs history, with Victor Wembanyama leading the way.
Does this mean that Popovich and his team will win the Finals again within the next few years?
If they do, will Popovich refer to them as “world champions”?
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