“Can beat the NBA teams”- Ergin Ataman reignites NBA Vs EuroLeague debate ahead of EuroBasket

Although Panathinaikos head coach Ergin Ataman is never hesitant to express his views. His most recent comments sparked one of the most heated debates in basketball this summer.

In a recent interview with Australian media before the Eurobasket, he alleged that the NBA champions should not be called world champions. He boldly asserted that the majority of EuroLeague teams could overcome NBA teams. In reference to the apparent disparity between NBA and EuroLeague teams, he further said that this could happen if an NBA roster is lacking its best player.

Ergin Ataman highlighted EuroLeague’s different talent, and challenged NBA’s ‘world champion’ label

Ergin Ataman is currently coaching the Turkish national team in the Eurobasket, leading the squad to an outstanding victory over Latvia to start the competition. However, in an interview with the Australian publication "Basketball" on Monday, he discussed Panathinaikos' impending trip to Australia for the "Pavlos Giannakopoulos" tournament and reiterated that there isn't much of a difference between the NBA and Europe.According to Ataman, “I told people these things, if you took out one star player from these NBA teams, I believe that many EuroLeague teams can beat the NBA teams.”

He acknowledged that NBA players like Stephen Curry, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant are "really star players," but he went on to say that EuroLeague teams might win if they were removed. The NBA champions shouldn't be referred to as world champions, Ataman reiterated. He then said: “Sometimes, especially last year, I complained when the NBA teams declared themselves as the world champions.

When the NBA teams won the NBA title, they declared immediately that they were the world champions. I complained about this… If you want to be a world champion, you must come to beat the EuroLeague champion.”

Ergin Ataman praised EuroLeague’s competitiveness and called for global clash with NBA champions

Further talking about it, the Turkish coach used preseason games as evidence. He clarified that the EuroLeague teams won 70 or 80 percent of the games. He continued:“Maybe you must come to beat the Australian champion as well.

So, for me, it’s a challenge every time, and I said again, with all respect to the NBA teams, EuroLeague basketball is a very high-level competition, and to be a world champion, they must play against us. It will be a challenge… We are ready to come to play everywhere for this title.”According to Ataman, the main difference now it’s the on-court mentality: “NBA basketball has now become more like a show, but EuroLeague is both. There is a show, but there is also big competition; every game is like a final…”

Speaking about the Eurobasket, Ataman added: “I believe that the EuroBasket is more intense and more competitive than the World Cup, because there is a minimum of seven to eight teams that are candidates for the gold medal. There are a lot of EuroLeague players, EuroLeague star players, and there are also a lot of NBA star players…”With the exception of the league's most recognisable personalities, Ergin Ataman stated that there is little difference between the two leagues. A long-running argument concerning the quality of play outside of the US is reignited by the remarks. The NBA still draws the best players, but EuroLeague teams are fiercely competitive.Also read: Giannis Antetokounmpo trains with Greek national team as he prepares for EuroBasket 2025 tournament run