
via Imago
For Illustrative Purposes Only {Image Courtesy Imago}

via Imago
For Illustrative Purposes Only {Image Courtesy Imago}
The 6x World Champion Noah Lyles‘ controversial NBA comments are refusing to settle down in the ongoing offseason. Following his victory at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, Lyles questioned the NBA stars’ “world champion” status. The athlete’s statement provoked a knee-jerk reaction from NBA superstars like Kevin Durant and Draymond Green.
As the controversy is snowballing into a major debate, Team USA literally vindicated Noah Lyles’ comments. Fans were quick to bite back after the team’s embarrassing loss against Lithuania in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
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Team USA’s first loss in the FIBA World Cup
After winning their first 4 matches in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, the young USA squad looked unstoppable. Even with a very young roster, Team USA was deemed the favorites to win the tournament and take the trophy home. But their winning streak ended with a 104-110 loss against underdogs Lithuania.

Despite Anthony Edwards’ monstrous 35-point performance, Team USA could not get past the Lithuanian squad. Apart from Ant, no other player scored more than 14 points.
The Lithuanian team, led by Pelicans Center Jonas Valanciunas, proved to be too much to handle for Team USA. Lithuania put on a great team performance, with 7 of its players scoring in double digits. This loss was inconsequential for the American squad because they have already qualified for the 2024 Olympics, and their performance before this loss will secure their place in the knockout stage.
However, that did not stop the fans from trolling Team USA and the NBA on social media.
Fans troll Team USA for proving Noah Lyles right
Team USA’s loss gave fans a chance to slander the NBA for not taking Noah Lyles’ World Championship comments seriously.
Aged well pic.twitter.com/GOriTq9RFF
— olamizr.eth ❓❄️ ( 🛎,🛎 ) (@j_sanms) September 3, 2023
Some fans even blamed Team USA Head Coach Steve Kerr for not making any adjustments during the game:
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Dawg what does Steve Kerr actually do??? pic.twitter.com/1gTFLNCy0B
— Villain aka Threat (@uHThreaT) September 3, 2023
Even though fans had a field day on social media, Team USA’s loss did not do any real damage to the team. With a young and talented roster, the team is far ahead of the competition.
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Watch This Story: After Adding Michael Jordan’s Signature Move, Can Anthony Edwards Live Up to the Hype in FIBA World Cup for Team USA?
If Team USA ends up winning the World Cup without NBA’s biggest superstars having to play for the team, Noah Lyles and his supporters will have no argument left against the NBA’s World Championship claim.
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