Noah Lyles NBA Controversy: All You Need to Know About ?World Champion? Debate

A few weeks back, Noah Lyles, the lightning-fast US sprinter, clinched the 100 and 200-meter titles and aided the US 4×100 relay to a gold medal at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest. His remarkable victory set the internet ablaze and earned him widespread acclaim.

Yet, amid this win, Lyles sparked one of the most significant controversies in the sports world. His recent comments for the NBA created a storm of debate for over a week. Lyles’ words left some disheartened, while others rallied behind him. Concurrently, his response to the NBA team involved added a twist and tempered the intensity of the controversy. As the dust settles, the burning questions linger: What did he say? Who were the individuals who stood by him and criticized him for his statements?

Noah Lyles? ?World Champion? diss to NBA at the 2023 World Athletic Championships

Lyles gained huge support and admiration when he won the world athletic championship & made historic moments on the ground. However, during a recent news conference, he was asked about ways to enhance his sport. In response, with frustration over the NBA’s claiming “world champion” status, Lyles, stated, “You know the thing that 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?

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

He continues, “Don?t get me wrong. I love the U.S., at times ? but that ain?t the world. That is not the world. We are the world. We have almost every country out here fighting, thriving, putting on their flag to show that they are represented. There ain’t no flags in the NBA.” Of course, Noah Lyles’s remarks on ?undeserving of the world champion title?, didn’t sit well with some current and former NBA players.

How Kevin Durant and the entire NBA world reacted to Lyles? comment

Kevin Durant, two-time NBA champion chirped on the Lyles comment. He added his words in an Instagram post comment, “Somebody helps this brother?. Along with this, Kendrick Perkins, a former NBA player turned ESPN commentator, had this to say about Lyles, ?Put his brain in a bird and the bird will start flying backward!!!”

This is just the starting of the reactions to Lyles’s remarks. American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets,? Aaron Gordon, was way more straightforward with his comment and added,? “Whatever? I?m smoking buddy in the 200m.”

However, the story doesn’t end here. An esteemed and iconic figure in the music world has also weighed in on the criticism surrounding Noah Lyles’ comments.

Singer Drake also joins NBA players in Noah Lyles backlash

Canadian singing icon Drake jumped right into the intense discussion. It’s worth noting that Drake has an official role as an ambassador for the Toronto Raptors in the NBA. With a touch of humor, Drake shared his thoughts, saying, “He thought this speech was gonna be so hard in the mirror the night before? now the whole league doesn?t rate u,??

Drake commented on Akademiks? repost of Lyles? comments with a series of laughing emojis.in response to Akademiks’ repost of Lyles’ comments.?

Sha?Carri Richardson, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and others support the US sprinter

In a world of critics, there are also supporters. Giannis Antetokounmpo has surprisingly thrown his support behind Noah Lyles amidst the controversy. During a recent appearance on the 48 Minutes podcast hosted by Ross Geiger, a former assistant coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, he stood by Lyles when he was facing criticism.

Antetokounmpo, an NBA champion, acknowledged that Lyles had received significant backlash for stating what seemed obvious to him. In one of the famous Twitter accounts of track and Spice, he added, ? ?I wanted to back him up so bad? He received so much backlash for saying the obvious. ?The Greek-Nigerian player also mentioned that winners of the UEFA Champions League, which is the most prestigious European club soccer competition, do not call themselves world champions as that right is reserved for winners of the FIFA World Cup.?

Sha?Carri Richardson, Lyles’ Team USA teammate, also joined in to support him. She emphasized that the organization includes players from various countries but questioned whether they truly compete against the world. In her tweet, Richardson adds, ?I?m standing with Noah on this one !! @LylesNoah the organization has players from different countries but do they compete against different countries? You have to go against the world to be a world champion!!?

How Lyles responded to the NBA backlash and Drake?s comments

Nevertheless, Lyles has shared his perspective in response to Drake and the NBA team’s sarcastic remarks recently. He during an interview with GQ Sport, stated, “It’s just a situation where they finally decided to listen. I’ve been saying?the whole world, truly, has been saying that for years. It’s just this time they paid attention, and had an opinion”. In addition, he questioned Drake’s involvement in the commotion, remarking, ?There are a bunch of funny things that come from it, like having Drake notice it. Like, Drake, what are you doing here? Go back home. This is an NBA conversation”.

READ MORE: 14 Days After Brutally Trashing NBA, Noah Lyles Fires Up ?World Champion? Debate With A Perfect Twist

Regardless of the perception of his critical remarks, it’s clear that Lyles has a genuine affection for the sport. He conveyed this feeling by stating, “To be honest, I truly think the NBA is the best. That was never the doubt. But, there is a level of not understanding the two sides of sports. There’s the national side and there’s the world side, and you can’t have the world championship title without facing the rest of the world.”?

Furthermore, in an unexpected development, the USA basketball team suffered a defeat to Germany and bid farewell to the FIBA World Cup. Despite the elevated hopes associated with a roster brimming with star players, it’s the second consecutive World Cup where the United States has failed to advance to the championship match. This setback aligns with Noah Lyle’s words underscoring his sentiment of saying that no matter how good the team is, one world championship title without facing the rest of the world is not justifiable.?