"Look what Noah Lyles caused" - NBA fans ridicule EuroLeague coach for challenging Boston Celtics to face off for 'World Champion' title

Ergin Ataman, the head coach of the reigning EuroLeague champions Panathinaikos, was quickly made fun of by NBA fans for his interpretation of the Boston Celtics' victory. Every time an NBA team wins the title, they are dubbed the "World Champions." However, not everyone believes that they are the world champions.

The topic of NBA teams calling themselves world champions when winning the title has been debated for quite some time. In 2010, San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich talked about how being called world champions makes no sense.

In an episode of the "Off the RECourt" podcast released on Friday, Ataman made the same point about the Celtics and challenged them to a game for the title of "world champions."

"You guys [Celtics] are not world champions. You are only NBA champs. We [Panathinaikos] are the EuroLeague champions. If you want to be world champions, come and play us. Beat us and then okay, you’ll be world champions," Ataman said.

Fans did not take well to Ataman's comments on the Celtics. Some supporters claim that Noah Lyles, the 2024 Olympic men's 100-meter gold medal-winning sprinter, brought up this point.

Lyles started a debate when he talked about NBA teams using the term "world champions" whenever they win titles. Stars responded to the track and field athlete after he called them out.

"Look at what Noah Lyles done started!" one fan said.

"Look what noah lyles caused smh," another fan said.

"They even clout chasing overseas 😭," another fan said.

Other supporters claimed that if it came down to the two teams vying for the title of world champions, the Celtics would be too strong for the EuroLeague squad.

"He really thinks the “panathinaikos” can beat the Celtics?" one fan said.

"Celtics bench could easily beat them 😂" another fan said.

"The Celtics would whoop these guys by like 50 points lol," one fan said.

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Jayson Tatum wants to lead the Boston Celtics to another title

The Boston Celtics ended their 16-year title drought with their 2024 title run. For this season, they've set their eyes on defending their reign and winning another championship for the city of Boston.

During their season opener against the New York Knicks, All-Star Jayson Tatum energized the crowd with what the goal is for the Celtics.

"Let's enjoy this moment together. I can honestly say, to the best fans in the world, let's do it again," Tatum said.

The Boston Celtics are favored to win the title this season, according to DraftKings Sportsbook before the season started. Over the summer, Boston didn't make any significant changes to its roster and has started the season 4-1 in its first five games.