Richard Jefferson craftily cites Lebron James example to put an end to "World Champions" debate

Besides his time playing in the NBA, Richard Jefferson is also known for his interesting basketball takes. Recently, the former LeBron James teammate took the time to post his take on the ongoing debate when it came to NBA champions being called the "world champions."

"The Denver Nuggets, they're the best team in the world," Jefferson said in a post on X. "Germany, they're the world champions. You can be the MVP and not be the best player in the world. LeBron James was the best player in the world in his prime and didn't win the MVP every year. The world champion versus the best team in the world, all you gonna do is argue."

To better articulate his argument, Richard Jefferson used LeBron James as an example, From his point of view, there have been numerous seasons, wherein, the 19-time All-Star didn't win MVP. Despite being arguably the best player during those seasons, other NBA stars got their hands on the trophy.

Similarly, he emphasized that the Denver Nuggets are the best team in the world and Team Germany are the world champions after winning the FIBA World Cup 2023. He said that both arguments are true and can exist at the same time.

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Besides Richard Jefferson, Giannis Antetokounmpo also gives his take on the NBA World Champion debate

Richard Jefferson's comments on the NBA World Champion debate are more from the rational perspective as he can see both arguments to have their own merit.

Interestingly, Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo had his own take on the matter, as per the "48 Minutes" podcast with Ross Geiger. While saying this, he suggested that Noah Lyles has received a lot of unwarranted backlash even though he's right.

"I wanted to back him up so bad," Antetokounmpo said. "He received so much backlash for saying, the obvious. I don't think in any other sport you are called the world champions. You know, like in soccer, which is way bigger than the NBA, more popular than the NBA."

"When the Champions League, the UEFA Champions League ... they don't say the word champion," Antetokounmpo added. "When they win the World Cup, they play against the USA team, they play against the teams around the world, countries around the world, then they say world champs."

From Antetokounmpo's perspective, he thinks that compared to soccer, the NBA doesn't even involve competitions between different countries. He compared the professional basketball league to the UEFA Champions League, regarding what counts as a world champion.

For the "Greek Freak," the UEFA Champions League can call their champions the world champions due to them facing franchises from other countries in the process.