EuroLeague champ takes swipe at Celtics over ‘world champions’ title

Dec 17, 2021; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; The Boston Celtics logo is seen before their game against the Golden State Warriors at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

One reigning EuroLeague champion is pulling a Noah Lyles.

Ergin Ataman, who is the head coach of Panathinaikos in Greece, appeared this week on “Off The RECourt,” a podcast hosted by ex-NBA guard Shane Larkin. Panathinaikos competes in both the Greek Basketball League and the EuroLeague and just won the EuroLeague championship for the 2023-24 season.

During the episode, the topic of the Boston Celtics, who won the NBA championship last season, came up. Larkin is a former Celtics player who has since gone on to star in the EuroLeague (now playing for Anadolu Efes in Turkey).

“You guys [the Celtics] are not world champions,” said Ataman, according to basketball writer Dionysis Aravantinos. “You are only NBA champions. 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.”

The 58-year-old Ataman has earned the right to talk a bit of trash. This EuroLeague championship was the third that he has won as a head coach (the other two were as Larkin’s head coach on Anadolu Efes). Ataman has also hoisted numerous other trophies throughout the course of his coaching career, including winning a EuroCup title in 2016 and seven total domestic league championships over the years.

But when it comes to the merits of Ataman’s argument here, that is an entirely different story. The topic was debated ad nauseam last year when the American sprinting star Lyles also controversially called into question the title of “world champions” being bestowed on the winner of the NBA Finals. But a general consensus ultimately emerged — that the very best basketball players in the world come to the NBA to play, which is why the “world champions” label is appropriate.

On top of that, the U.S. also won the gold medal in men’s basketball at the Paris Olympics this year, creating an even more compelling case. After that victory, Team USA notably got shady with anybody still questioning their status as “world champions.”