All of this is to say that basketball has a long way to go internationally and yes, that the US is still leaps and bounds ahead of the world in basketball, in much the same way Canada is with Hockey.
I wasn't aware that Canada is leaps and bounds ahead of the world in hockey. Sure Canada got the gold medal in the Olympics (it took OT, and that after losing the to the USA the first time the teams played...), but last I checked, hockey is the choice of fanatics in many parts of the US, like upstate New York, most of Michigan or Minnesota... the USA is a big country, big enough to provide top-notch athletes in several different sports. I'm not going to debate who is #1, but to say leaps and bounds is a leap and bound.
And I'm not so sure that the US can claim to be leaps and bounds ahead of the
entire world in basketball anymore, though I would agree that the USA is probably comfortably back on top again (for now). A cross section of the NBA is I think is testimony to the international nature the game has been taking on, while yes, American players are by far the most common, and American players also fill significance parts of the rosters in international leagues everywhere, this isn't 1990 anymore.
And don't get me started about how many times I get to a local park to play some pick-up ball, and these kids out here today don't even seen to know what an off-the-ball screen is, for heaven's sake... makes me wonder about the future of the game here.
Don't ask what sort of Chunks they are, you probably don't want to know. Blowing Chunks since Season 4!