“World Champion of what?” – Noah Lyles had cemented his reign on track and field by clinching a gold in the 100m and 200m events at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest. But after claiming a title of his own, the 27-year-old took a supposed dig at NBA championship winners being given a similar tag. He faced some pushback for the comment back then. After the conclusion of the Paris Olympics, this situation has resurfaced yet again. 

On August 10, the USA basketball team clinched an Olympic gold in a packed Bercy Arena. However, if this wasn’t enough, they further drove their point home with a post of them on the podium. What was the caption they went with? “Are we the World Champs now?” What probably stings even more is that this came days after Lyles had won a bronze medal in the 200m dash while reeling from COVID-19. Even though NBA Icon, Gilbert Arenas defended him a few days ago, he doesn’t feel the same way anymore.

Gilbert Arenas doubles down on Noah Lyles post the Paris Olympics

On his podcast, the 42-year-old lets fans in on his thoughts. “Y’all crazy, man. Over here talking about ‘he really had COVID.’ No the f**k he didn’t.” The sprinter was aiming to replicate his 100m gold medal performance again. But he placed third instead. The sprinter was so exhausted he collapsed along the side of the tracks after his race. He was eventually wheeled out of the stadium, a sight that came as a surprise to many. 

No one knew about his diagnosis back then. But the former NBA star believes there’s more than what meets the eye. “You can’t be Superman before, and then all of a sudden, your *ss is the sickest man walking this planet.” Noah Lyles had made an exuberant entrance right before. He jumped around the tracks while the chants of ‘USA’ refused to die down. He eventually made his way to the blocks, ready to blaze past his competitors. 

But Lyles couldn’t move past his compatriot Kenny Bednarek and Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo. The latter clinched his first Olympic gold with an impressive time of 19.46 seconds, while the former finished second in 19.62 seconds. Lyles completed the podium, just like in the 2020 Tokyo games, with 19.70 seconds on the clock. Here’s where things get interesting. The sprinter previously had Gilbert Arenas in his corner, even though he didn’t seem to agree with his comment. 

Coming to the Olympian’s rescue

It’s no surprise that fans were ripping Lyles apart after his comments. However, several NBA stars also called him out for the same. Most notably, Devin Brooker stated how the NBA hosts the best talent in the world and that it is probably harder to be an NBA champion. Gilbert Arenas also disagreed with the 27-year-old’s take. However, he also disagreed with the hate the 27-year-old received during his stint in Paris. 

The former NBA star connected this to the reception LeBron James had previously received. He touched upon this on his podcast and shared a clip on Instagram with some advice for the sprinter. “Noah has to rebrand himself becuz NO OLYMPIC athlete has ever went into an event and the public was praying he lost…” He drove this point home by connecting it to George Poage’s win at the 1904 Summer Games. “You to great to not be liked,” Arenas stated. What could’ve brought on this change of heart? Let us know what you think in the comments!