Noah Lyles Calls Out Legend Justin Gatlin at World Athletics Bahamas Relays For ‘Lakers’ Support

Noah Lyles, who dominated last year’s Budapest World Championships with wins in the 100m and 200m sprints, shined bright Saturday night in Nassau, Bahamas at the World Athletics Relays. Adding to the spectacle was Justin Gatlin from New York, bringing his support, and boosting the spirits of all participants.

On 5th May, Gatlin shared a video where Lyles commented on the 2004 Olympic Champion’s light brown “Lakers” cap. The former USA sprinter recently shared various athletes’ images and videos on his X account and Lyles’s video is an addition.

In the video, Lyles, clad in blue USA track gear, jests with Gatlin, saying, “Bruh, you ain’t no Lakers, why you got that hat on?” Gatlin responded with laughter, to which Lyles humorously added, “You’re matching the fit.” Along with the video the post is captioned as, “Blessed & Highly Favored #usa #WorldRelays,” by Gatlin. Amid Gatlin’s support for Team USA, the playful exchange drew attention as it has a deeper connection for Noah Lyles.

At the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, after winning gold in multiple events, Lyles made some remarks about the NBA. His dig at the NBA, raising questions about them being called “world champions,” drew a lot of flak at the time. 

“We are the world, we have almost every country out here fighting, thriving, putting on they flag to show that they are represented. There ain’t no flags in the NBA,” Lyles had said. His comments sparked reactions from NBA players like Kevin Durant, who said: “Somebody help this brother.”

The recent exchange between Lyles and Gatlin was definitely all in fun. But, while Gatlin’s latest X post mentioning Noah Lyles as “highly favored” showcased the 42-year-old New Yorker’s support, he has previously been skeptical about the 26-year-old’s “greedy” Paris goals.

Gatlin on Lyles’ Olympic quadruple quest

Noah Lyles, who showed his stellar performance at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, shocked the track and field world when he announced his goal of securing four golds at the Paris games. Many believed that Lyles was trying to bite more than he could chew. Among those raising doubts was Justin Gatlin who shared some tips for Lyles to stand atop the podium at the 100m, 200m, 4X100m, and 4X400m events. 

Gatlin said that Lyles will need a much stronger determination to achieve this feat. “He would be one of one…Noah, talk to your ish dog. That boy be talking, I’ll tell you right now that he tells his whole game plan in the post conferences,” he said, adding: “It’s going to take a dog, it’s going to take someone who says ‘You know what? Enough is enough and I’m coming to punch this dude in the mouth.” Gatlin added: “That’s the mentality that they have to possess and right now, I’m not seeing anyone who is going to step up and do that.”

With just a few months to the Paris Olympics 2024, the world awaits to see Noah Lyles achieving his dreams and Gatlin cheering for track athletes!