Days After Being Targeted By NBA World and Drake, Noah Lyles Finally Breaks Silence

It is fair to say that Noah Lyles was the highlight of the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest. He participated in three tournaments and conquered all three of them with a hat trick of gold medals. Lyles became a 100m world champion, successfully defended his 200m world title, and helped the U.S. men’s 4x100m relay team win gold as the anchor.

However, despite his performances, Lyles has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. His post-race press conference comments about the NBA were not well-received by NBA stars and even Canadian musician Drake, who trolled the track star online. However, Lyles’ latest social media post is the first time he has uploaded or written something since his NBA controversy.

Noah Lyles reacts for the first time since the NBA controversy

After a dominant 200m display in Budapest, Lyles shared some thoughts on the NBA by saying, “I have to watch the NBA Finals and they have world champion on their heads. World champion of what? The United States?” This triggered NBA star and Olympic gold medal winner Kevin Durant, who wrote, “Somebody help this brother,” as he referred to Lyles’s comments. Global music icon Drake added, “He thought this speech was gonna be so hard in the mirror the night before… now the whole league doesn’t rate u.” Lyles, who had been quiet since his NBA comments, has finally shared an update on his Instagram.

The Instagram post displays a number of moments from the world championships in Budapest. They include Lyle’s moments of triumph, pictures with his family, some images showing him getting emotional, and the love of his fans. He also accompanied his post with a long caption that highlights his vote of thanks to all the people who helped him in Budapest, which includes his family, medical staff, coaches, sponsors, competitors, and agents. He also thanked the city of Budapest for being a great host to him. A part of his caption read I would personally like to thank everyone on an amazing WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS!!!!” Lyles did not mention or address his NBA controversy anywhere in his post but has already been defended by a number of athletes online.

Various athletes defend American track star amid NBA controversy

Lyles’ teammate Sha’Carri Richardson recently took to X where she tweeted in support of the world champion. Her tweet read, “I’m standing with Noah on this one !! @LylesNoah the organization have players from different countries but do they compete against different countries. You have to go against the world in order to be a world champion!!” Joining Lyles in this fight was NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho. He indicated to people that becoming a world champion means beating the best in the world. Something that Noah Lyles did as he beat tens of athletes from multiple countries just for one event. Former NFL quarterback, Robert Griffin III, also supported the track star by publishing a three-minute-long video in favor of Lyles on the platform X.

Read more: “Controversy Sells”: Noah Lyles under ‘Clout Shade’ after Dropping the Perfect NBA Publicity Stunt

As Lyles prepares for his 200m event at the upcoming 2023 Zurich Diamond League, he is bound to be swarmed by media regarding a reaction to the comments made by NBA stars and Drake. However, his fans will only be looking forward to more iconic performances from the American as he continues to wreak havoc on the track as next year’s Paris Olympics edges closer.

Watch this story: Witness the Genesis of the Legend of Noah Lyles: The Finish You Know, the Start You Don’t