“I’ve Spoiled Track”: Already Cancelled by NBA, Noah Lyles Slams Critics Using a Michael Johnson Reference

The track and field world witnessed Noah Lyles’ best form in 2023. In Budapest, Lyles took part in three events and won all three by putting in some brilliant displays at the world championships. However, he also made headlines for his comments on the NBA. The track sensation claimed that the NBA should not be referring to its winners as world champions since the NBA is a domestic basketball league. These comments did not go down well with the basketball world and stars like Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and even global music icon Drake called out Lyles on social media.

However, none of that affected Noah Lyles’ performances who continued to dominate the track even after his comments when he once again won the 200m event at the 2023 Zurich Diamond League. But despite his winning consistency, fans still find faults in his results, and Lyles believes he might be a victim of his own success.

Noah Lyles highlights the side effects of his track success

Last month, Noah Lyles won gold in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay at the world championships in Budapest. His time of 9.83 seconds in the 100m event was the world-leading time of this year, whereas he left all competition behind in the 200m by dominating with a time of 19.52 seconds. He further anchored the U.S. 4x100m relay to a gold medal as the USA stopped the clock in 37.38 seconds, a world-leading time. Apart from that, he has taken part thrice in the 2023 Diamond League till now and won all his events. But Lyles believes that the track world is now used to his success.

According to a GQ Sports report, the track star said, “I believe I’ve spoiled the track world. A lot of people will look at my time in the 200, the 19:31. [In 2022 Lyles set the American record, topping Michael Johnsons’s mark from the 1996 Olympics.]” Lyles explains that the track audience has gotten used to seeing him run fast and dominate races and therefore even his 200m American record time of 19:31 seconds would not be too appealing now for his fans. He also highlighted that he wants the track fans to be demanding and that he always wants them to expect great things every time they come out to see him in action. His fans will get that chance once again when he takes to the track once more at Eugene, later this week.

2023 Diamond League finals

The 2023 Diamond League finals are set to conclude later this week at the Hayward Field in Eugene after 13 tournament meetings. Lyles had not featured much in the 2023 Diamond League with just one appearance in the 100m event and two 200m event appearances. However, he won all three events with his latest win coming in Zurich when he stopped the clock in 19.80 seconds. Soon after the race, Lyles tweeted about ending his 2023 racing season on X. But he soon took a U-turn and tweeted, “You know what… I might have another 100m in me for the year.” 

Read more: Noah Lyles Falling Out of Ranks Against Jamaican Rival in a Different Race Despite World Champion Status

Noah Lyles followed this with another tweet recently, where he announced he will return to the 2023 Prefontaine Classic as he aims to end his season with a bang. As fans await the double-world champion in Eugene, Lyles will hope to give the fans a little more than what they expect. With the 2024 Paris Olympics less than a year away, Noah Lyles and his fans will aim for another clean sweep at the biggest sporting spectacle.

Watch this story: After Flaunting World Championship Medals, Noah Lyles Gets Back to Hustle Again Ahead of Prefontaine Diamond League