"Come and beat us in OAKA": Panathinaikos coach dares Jayson Tatum & Boston Celtics to face Euroleague champs for the world championship showdown

The head coach of Greece's Panathinaikos, Ergin Ataman, sent a message to the NBA champion Boston Celtics. Panathinaikos recently became the EuroLeague champions after defeating Real Madrid and has the confidence to beat anyone.

Many have labeled the NBA as the best basketball league in the world, proclaiming their winner the "world champions." However, that term has been controversial over the past few seasons after Olympic bronze medalist Noah Lyles called out the practice.

This time, a champion from a different league is stepping up against the NBA to challenge the current champion. According to the EuroLeague head coach, playing against them will determine which team truly deserves to be called "world champions".

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"After the Boston Celtics became the NBA champions, they tweeted, ‘World Champion Boston.’ The EuroLeague also tweeted, ‘Beat this team first,’ with our photo. They see themselves very highly. They want incredible numbers to come and play a game in Europe. You are not the world champion. If you want to get the world champion title, come and beat us, the EuroLeague champion. If you are so confident, I say come and beat us in OAKA," Ataman said.

The two teams playing against each other could be interesting. There would be a lot of adjustments on which court since NBA courts are bigger and the three-point is further from the basket. There would also be concerns about which rules should be followed as the EuroLeague doesn't have a defensive three-second rule and goaltending is judged differently.

None of the players or coaches from the Celtics have responded to Ataman.

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The Boston Celtics called themselves the "world champions" after the NBA Finals and it didn't end well

After winning their 18th (most in the NBA) championship, the Boston Celtics wasted no time in calling themselves the "world champions." They went to social media to let everyone know about it right after their win against the Mavs.

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However, fans weren't having it and criticized the franchise for calling themselves "world champions."

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"Fixed it for you, you're welcome," a fan even fixed the graphic for the Celtics.

"World champions in a domestic tournament?" another fan had so many questions.

"Germany are world champions last time I checked," one fan said referring to the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

"Why they still call it world? That’s the World Cup and Olympics," one fan asked.

The issue with using the term "world champions" in the NBA may not go away easily. Given that the league is looking to expand each year, world champions could be an accurate title in the future.

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