Recently, Team USA sprinter Noah Lyles sparked a debate by claiming NBA champions were not world champions because they play in a national league rather than on the world stage. Lyles’ comments sparked a heated debate on social media, with the NBA fan base split on whether winning an NBA championship entitles a team to call itself a world champion.
During a recent post-game press conference while at the FIBA World Cup with Team USA, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was asked whether an NBA champion or World Cup winner is the world champion. The veteran coach replied with a one-word answer: “Both.”
Buy Warriors TicketsKerr has won nine NBA championships in his career, five as a player and four as the head coach of the Warriors. However, Kerr is trying to win his first World Cup championship with Team USA. Nevertheless, it would appear Kerr already considers himself to be a nine-time world champion.
You can watch the full clip of Kerr’s short but sweet response in the embedded video above.
