Anthony Davis Reignites ‘World Champions’ Debate with Dream Team vs. 2012 Team USA Comparison Ahead of Paris Olympics

Anthony Davis has come a long way. The Lakers center had the privilege of playing for the nation in 2012, before his rookie season in the NBA. Not only that, he played alongside the greats like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Chris Paul. 12 years later, AD is all set to represent the nation again at the Paris Olympics. Before diving into the challenge, he responds to a big question: Which is better? 1992 Dream Team or the 2012 Team USA?

After going off the radar following the Lakers’ disappointing playoff run, AD makes a headliner comeback. Right around the time when the players were all set to assemble for the Olympics practice, AD, who showed up in the Join the Lobby pod, got candid with his opinions. The hosts, reading the situation well, asked if he was part of the greatest USA team ever assembled in 2012. When Davis got engaged, listing the superstars involved in the London Olympics, the hosts put him off guard with the tricky question. He paused for a bit and said, “I mean, we won it all… it’s tough to say… the Dream team was insane, the Redeem team was insane.”

“I can’t speak for the dream, I wasn’t around.” He then pointed out the 2024 Paris Olympics and called it “crazy”. The Lakers center’s half-addressed statement did nothing but rekindle the sealed-up debate of ‘World Champions’. As a follow-up question to the ‘best team’, the host opened the ‘World Champions’ debate. Last year, USA’s superstar sprinter Noah Lyles broke the internet with a thumping statement. He termed the NBA Champions being called world champions “undeserving”, which ‘hurts him the most’. He further added, “World champion of what? The United States?”.

Unfortunately, around the same time, Team USA lost the FIBA WC and failed to even nab the Bronze medal. But that comment by Lyles received a lot of attention and AD himself was a responder to the same. What did he say?

Anthony Davis makes a Jokic analogy in disapproval of Lyles’ ‘World Champions’ critique

When the host recalled Noah Lyles’ statement, Davis immediately said that he “understood” what the superstar track athlete meant. But AD countered it with his version. He said, “The best players in the world you go to the NBA… to prove that you’re one of the best players in the world.” Moreover, he didn’t stop there, Davis further went on to prove his version with an example.

He added that if Nikola Jokic was the best player in the world, he wouldn’t just play in Serbia and call himself the “best”. Instead, Davis argued that the Serbian should go to the league and prove he is best by playing against the best in the world. And, he ended his argument with a mic-drop-esque statement, saying, “That’s why it’s called world champions…We don’t only have US-born players. It can be from anywhere in the world.” Will AD’s statement reignite the debate once again just before the Paris Olympics?

Let us your thoughts know in the comments.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato had to say about WNBA sensation Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, this video