“Not the Most Intelligent Response”: After Riling Up Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, Noah Lyles Flamed by NBA All-Star Guard

Rivals on the court have joined hands for a common cause. This happened because of what Noah Lyles said about the NBA after a hat trick of medals. The track & field star made comments that drew massive fire from many NBA players, including Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. His claims about the “world champion” label continue to attract attention.

Amidst the brewing storm, an NBA All-Star Guard also shared his piece.

After Kevin Durant and Booker, another NBA star questions Noah Lyles

After winning 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay gold medals during the World Athletic Championship, Lyles said, “You know, the things that hurts me the most and they have the world champion on their head. World Champion of what? The United States? Don’t get me wrong, I love USA at times, but that ain’t the world. We are the world. We have every country out here fighting, thriving, putting on their flag to show that they are presented. There ain’t no flags in the NBA.”

These comments triggered a storm in the NBA world. The reaction was immediate from many, including Kevin Durant. The Forward didn’t hold back and took shots at Lyles, stating, ”Somebody help this brother”. Devin Booker chimed in with his take. Other NBA players were also in disbelief and shared their pieces.

Meanwhile, Indiana Pacers All-Star Tyrese Haliburton, who helped USA beat Jordan during the FIBA World Cup, was also critical of Lyles. Talking to the reporters after the game, he said, ”I really don’t understand the point of it. Because the NBA is the best league in the world. So, it wasn’t the most intelligent response. We gonna let that fly”.

There is no doubt that the athlete’s remarks are in the crosshairs of many NBA players.

Read More: Hours After Kevin Durant and Others Destroyed Noah Lyles’ NBA Take, Ex-Star Speaks on Basketball Outside of the USA: “Bunch of F**king Has-Beens”

However, Lyles has had some backing within the NBA world as well.

Greg Popovich and Shaquille O’Neal to the defense

13 years ago, Pop also argued along similar lines as the track & field phenom. He had stated, “It doesn’t make sense for an NBA team to call themselves world champions. I don’t remember anybody playing anybody outside our borders to get the tag”. As someone who has been coaching for around half a century now and has bagged multiple championships, these comments hold a lot of weight.

Shaquille O’Neal posted a story that linked to the quote. Although he didn’t write anything on it, his intentions looked clear. With the debate running around the semantics of the label “world champion”, his thoughts matter a lot as the four-time NBA champion and three Finals MVP.

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Where do you sway on this debate? Do share in the comments below.