"International competition is different, USA gets EXPOSED!": Stephen A. Smith reckons USA's World Cup exit gives 'credence' to Noah Lyles' comments

Stephen A. Smith reckons Team USA's shocking 2023 FIBA World Cup loss to Germany has offered traction to American track and field star Noah Lyles' "World Champions" argument. Lyles called out the NBA for using that tag for teams winning a title but got flak for it.

However, the Americans' quest to become the FIBA World Champions taking a hit has Smith believing it will give Lyles' comments 'credence.'

"That's glaring," said Smith of USA's loss at the World Cup. "And it gives credence to Noah Lyles ... who basically said, 'This ain't no world championship when they win the NBA championship, cause the NBA championship is not the world.'

"International competition is different, and the USA gets exposed because of their lack of depth ... Cohesiveness, etc., compared to some of these other teams."

Team USA failed to win the World Cup for the second consecutive time. They finished seventh four years ago when the tournament took place in China. The lack of continuity in their roster selections and the belief that they are superior to international rivals due to NBA talent has again held back the team from World Cup success.

The Americans haven't shown continuity in the Olympics since they formed the 'Redeem Team' in 2008. However, they haven't maintained that at the FIBA World Cup since 2019. They deployed a young group back then and this time too. Neither team had players with international experience.

Meanwhile, this year's team had players who haven't played with each other at any level apart from a few pairings.

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NBA 'World Champions' label could come under scrutiny following Team USA's exit at FIBA World Cup

The NBA uses the 'World Champions' tag because it's the best league globally, and the best players all over play there. However, with a team losing despite plenty of NBA talent, the 'NBA World Champions' narrative could be under heavy scrutiny.

It's not just the American team, but Canada too, that suffered a semis exit despite boasting a talented team stacked with NBA stars, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, RJ Barrett and Dillon Brooks. Both teams will have to make the most of the kind of players available to them.

Not every team is fortunate to have the talent pool they possess. Nevertheless, they will have their shot at redemption in the 2024 Paris Olympics. USA and Canada will have to realize that other teams have caught up, so to give it their best, both teams understand they need continuity with a stronger and more experienced lineup.

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