After claiming gold at the world championship in Budapest last year, Noah Lyles spared a stinging comment for the NBA. He claimed the league champions can’t be termed the ‘World Champions’. His comments sparked resentment, including that from Devin Booker at the time. Yesterday, he was amongst the few players from Team USA present at the 100m final and witnessed Lyles’ historic feat.

It had been 20 years since a USA sprinter won gold at the Olympics, the last being Justin Gatlin. Likewise, Booker was happy as a fan. But did Noah Lyles’ blockbuster victory make his comments from last year right in the Phoenix Suns stars’ books? The answer remains no.

“I still don’t agree with the comment. I feel like all the best talent in the world is in the NBA, and this is coming from an Olympic gold medalist (who believes) that being an NBA champion is probably harder to do,” Devin Booker expanded. However, the Suns guard understood where Lyles was coming from.

“The statement was said. I think how it was said — you know, it was just out of context. I feel like it was something that was weighing on his heart for a long time. He’s gained a following since then. He held it down, though, so congrats to him,” Book said about Noah Lyles’ win to The Athletic.

Apart from the NBA’s attention, Lyles was also battling his own demons. He took bronze medal honors at the Tokyo Olympics, a memory that haunted him so much that he used it to fuel him during Paris. The track and field athlete carried it around with him as a reminder of the horrors that he had to crush.

And he fulfilled his job and lived up to every word he said. His relationship with the men’s basketball team might be sensitive, but Noah Lyles won the hearts of millions of Americans yesterday. Hence, he has earned every bit of praise and respect coming his way, some even from the NBA players.

Why Devin Booker feels Noah Lyles was wrong

Devin Booker played an integral part in Team USA, bagging a fourth consecutive gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. As a team, no country has yet to dethrone Team USA since 2004. Hence, for them in particular, it’s understandable to view the NBA as the harder competition.

And it’s not that the league hasn’t expanded. The NBA is now a global league, with players from over 40 countries playing in the league. And the number is only escalating after every season. Last year, the NBA had a record 125 international players across all the 30 rosters. Even though their origin differed, every player had the same goal: to win an NBA title.

It’s the same spirit Lyles spoke about in his audacious interview last year. “We have almost every country out here fighting,” he said at the time. While accepted there are no flags, the NBA community should still be considered global, with the best of the world competing for the Larry O’Brien.

Before you go, do not forget to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Asia Avinger in the video below.