If the Americans aren’t “world basketball champions,” then why is their B-to-C squad running through the 2023 FIBA World Cup in Manila? Why do we rate every international opponent’s odds at beating Team USA by the quality of the players on their roster who have played meaningful NBA careers? It’s the elephant in the room as an undefeated Team USA roster advanced to Round 2 with a landslide 110-62 victory over a Jordanian national basketball team led by former Nets forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. The NBA’s defending champion doesn’t compete in the World Cup — and neither does the league’s premier talent — but the World Cup’s best basketball players flock to the NBA, both to compete against the best and secure the world’s highest-paying basketball contracts. While NBA champions may not be literal “world champs,” it’s hard to make an argument for better basketball being played anywhere else on the planet. And it’s why claims from U.S.