Stephen A. Smith had some harsh words for Team USA track star Noah Lyles' comments on NBA players calling themselves world champions.
Noah stated," You know what hurts me the most is that I have to watch the NBA Finals and they have 'world champion' on their head. World champion of what? The United States?" He added, "Don't get me wrong. I love the U.S., at times, but that ain't the world. That is not the world. We are the world. We have almost every country out here fighting, thriving, putting on their flag to show that they are represented. There ain't no flags in the NBA."
Smith called Noah ignorant for his opinion but later received an eye-opening text from his friend, actor Boris Kodjoe.
In a text sent to Smith, Kodjoe clarified that Noah's comments were not meant to discredit any player or their level of play. Instead, Noah was pointing out the uniquely American habit of calling a national contest a world championship. Kodjoe explained that world championships are global competitions where individuals and teams representing their respective countries compete for a world title.
Kodjoe used the example of the Premier League in England, which is arguably the best football league in the world. Despite this, nobody would call a team like Manchester United a world champion because it would be factually incorrect.
Smith realized that Kodjoe was right and apologized to Noah Lyles for calling his perspective ignorant. He acknowledged that while the NBA has many international players and is watched around the globe, that doesn't make them world champions.
Smith learned the importance of listening to others' perspectives and being open to being wrong. He concluded by saying that sometimes tradition doesn't mean it's right, and in this case, it is wrong to label NBA champions as world champions.
Source: Youtube
