The Noah Lyles vs NBA saga carried into the Paris Olympics. Lyles made a statement by winning gold by 0.005 seconds in the 100m race. However, he finished third in 200m after competing with COVID, drawing a sharp reaction from Kevin Durant. Days later Durant and his men won the basketball gold to cement their status as the best team in the world. With Lyles’ “world champions of what,” comment still a bone of contention between him and USA basketball, the sprinter shares his thoughts on the team’s Olympic success in an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports.

The Olympic final saw a Stephen Curry-inspired USA clinch a fifth straight gold medal. The Golden State Warriors star ended up with 24 points – all three-pointers putting on a show for the ages as they beat the home team in a hard-fought battle 98-87.

Speaking exclusively to Essentiallysports, Noah Lyles was asked if he had any comments on USA Basketball’s gold medal performance. “I was watching the gold medal game last night. I was doing some of my own events with Omega and, you know, some other people. And, you know, I’m looking at the score and I’m just like, oh, yeah, the US is going to win,” Lyles revealed.

Team USA’s route to the medal wasn’t an easy ride. With the clock ticking down, the game was finely poised at 82-79 in USA’s favor, but France were being cheered on by a boisterous home crowd. However, Stephen Curry stepped up and defied all basketball logic! He drained three 3-pointers sandwiched between a Kevin Durant free throw to put his side ahead 84-93, before scoring another 3-pointer to close out the game.

Durant echoed Lyles’s emotions; he knew what was up. He knew that Team USA was taking that gold. As the clock ran down, Durant and Curry embraced each other. Bercy Arena in Paris was painted with the colors of the American Flag, and the celebrations began. But for Lyles, this meant a whole lot more.

He said, “I hope that it showed that just because we are so great that there are other countries out there who are, you know, trying to take that away from us. So we shouldn’t take for granted what we have. I don’t think they will. They did play very well, and I’m very excited and happy that they were able to grab the gold medal.”

Indeed, other nations have stepped up to the USA as was evident during the Olympics. Apart from coming across a battling France, the USA were run close by Serbia in the semi-finals. Serbia were leading 78-67 with a little over seven minutes left. It required a Curry special to rescue the USA as he ended up with 36 points helping his team to a 91-95 win. This was a hard-earned gold medal for Durant and his men.

Lyles’ comments are a departure from the row he ignited during the World Championships in Budapest Lyles had expressed his distaste for NBA Champions being labeled as World Champions saying, “You know what hurts me the most is that I have to watch the NBA Finals and they have ‘world champion’ on their head. World champion of what? The United States?

Following their basketball gold, the USA basketball handle tweeted, “Are we the World Champs now?,” throwing shade at Lyles’ comments. But that was not all.

After Lyles ended up in third place in the 200m race in Paris, competing in the discipline despite having tested positive for COVID two days earlier, Kevin Durant took a shot at him. He commented, “World champion of 3rd place?” under an Instagram post talking about Lyles’ bronze medal finish. But it looks like the sprinter is looking to move ahead from the banter.

Noah Lyles’ comments last year divided opinion and led to some soreness between him and NBA stars. Both sides ultimately found themselves on the same team during the Opening Ceremony, sharing a common goal of winning gold for their country.

In a surprise move, a few of the NBA stars even showed up for Lyles’ 100m event. Lyles later discussed this with EssentiallySports in partnership with Tide.

Noah Lyles is unsure about the intentions of NBA stars but hopes they “enjoyed the show”

On August 4th, Noah Lyles secured the gold medal at the 100m finals. With a close finish of 9.784 seconds, Lyles defeated Jamaican sprinter Kishane Thompson with a difference of 0.005 seconds and roared, “America I told you.” As he bathed in glory and embraced his family, videos of  NBA stars Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum, and Devin Booker being present at the race went viral. 

In the exclusive with Essentiallysports, Lyles was asked, “So you have stars from the NBA team watching you live. How does it make you feel?” 

Lyles was unsure about the intentions of the NBA Stars. He said, “I hope they enjoyed the show. I don’t know if they came in support or just to see me fail, but, you know, either way they came.” In a tone of gratitude, he added, “And, you know, I’m glad that I could bring the entertainment to a level where they would want to come and watch, regardless of the reason.” 

While many basketball stars remained silent on the issue, Devin Booker spoke to the media after the 100m final. Having witnessed Lyles’ Gold Medal performance, Booker congratulated him and claimed that this feat “was great for America.” 

Although there may still be some tensions between the two sides, these athletes are willing to set aside their differences and support each other in representing their country with pride. What’s your take on this debate? Let us know in the comments below!