Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton couldn't help but hit back at US track star Noah Lyles for his rather controversial comments on NBA champions labeling themselves as “World Champions.”

For those who missed it, Lyles took offense over the label and mocked the NBA and its players for the rather pretentious tag. Some people agreed with him, with many noting that it's just the usual American pompousness as many US citizens believe it's the best in the world.

“I have to watch the NBA finals and they have world champion on their heads. World champion of what? The United States? Don't get me wrong. I love the US at times. But that ain't the world,” Lyles said in an insulting way.

Naturally, the take didn't sit well with many NBA stars, with the likes of Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Devin Booker, Aaron Gordon, Bam Adebayo and Damian Lillard among those mocking Lyles for his comments. Even rapper Drake and ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith defended the league and slammed the American sprinter for his “flagrantly ignorant” take.

Now, after the news traveled across the world and hearing it while with Team USA at the FIBA World Cup, Haliburton had some strong words for Lyles and his take. The Pacers set the record straight why NBA champions deserve to be called “World Champions.”

“I really don't understand the point of it because the NBA is the best league in the world. It wasn't the most intelligent response,” Tyrese Haliburton admitted.

Noah Lyles is technically correct with his assessment if we're only basing it off on the level of competition. The NBA is club basketball, so players represent teams and not their countries. With that said, one can truly argue that NBA champions shouldn't be called “World Champions.”

What Lyles fails to understand, however, is that the NBA–as Tyrese Haliburton emphasized–is the best league in the world. Compared to athletes of other sports whose goal is to represent their countries in world meets, all of the best basketball players in the planet dream of joining the NBA.

For hoopers, making it to the NBA is the ultimate validation that they are among the elites of the game.

Not to mention that the NBA is a true global league and not only played by Americans. The last five MVP awards were won by players born outside the United States. This only proves that the league is where the best talents from all over the globe go–making it even more prestigious than the likes of the FIBA World Cup and Olympic basketball.

Gregg Popovich has same stance as Noah Lyles

While Noah Lyles' take has been met with criticisms, however, it should be noted that there's one prominent figure in the NBA that has the same thinking as him: Gregg Popovich.

Back in 2010, Coach Pop made the same argument that NBA champions shouldn't be called “World Champions.”

“It doesn't make sense for an NBA team to call themselves World Champions. I don't remember anybody playing outside our borders to get that tag,” Popovich said back then.

It's unknown if Coach Pop still has the same stance today, but given his reputation and status as a Hall of  Famer, it might be hard for many to refute him. But then again, considering how much the NBA has evolved compared to a decade ago, Popovich might be having second thoughts about that take.