Nobody may have predicted it. Even those who know Noah Lyles well have yet to mention that the world’s fastest man follows an expected rule outside his sporting duties. The idea of him sitting in the front row and enjoying a basketball game once seemed far-fetched. This was largely because of the verbal exchange between Lyles and the NBA community after his jibe at the NBA champions last year. Yet on Friday night, basketball fans were rubbing their eyes in disbelief as they saw him attending a game. Lyles’ presence courtside sparked mixed reactions within the community.

Last year, after snagging three gold medals in the Budapest World Athletics Championships, Noah Lyles took a dig at the NBA players. The bone of contention had been the ‘world champion’ tag of the NBA champions. As per Noah, that tag should not have been there. Reason? He slipped it during a press conference after his triple victory: “You know what 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?” The NBA community did not welcome those comments. Certain big names from the basketball realm displayed their dissatisfaction with such words. 

Basketball legend Kevin Durant expressed his anger through a social media comment, writing, ‘Somebody help this brother.’ The four-time Olympic champion’s words echoed the sentiments of other players like Devin Booker, Damian Lillard, and Aaron Gordon, who also sharpened their attacks against Lyles over his comments about the ‘world champion’ title. Basketball fans didn’t hold back either, bombarding the Olympian with harsh criticism on social media. The intensity of these attacks increased sharply after the American men’s basketball team won gold at the Paris Olympics. Despite the backlash, Noah remained silent. However, his latest move has left basketball fans puzzled.

On Friday night, Noah attended the basketball game between the Orlando Magic and the Philadelphia 76ers at the Kia Center in Orlando. It was the home game for the Magic and according to Noah, being a Florida native, he couldn’t have missed the game. Ultimately, with his lady love Junelle Bromfield, Lyles soaked in the limelight thoroughly. Later, he shared a few snaps of his appearance in the game. Watching this ‘sudden love’, a fan has commented, “I always knew he was cooking with the “World Champion” thing.” By making this comment, the fan may have referenced the controversy initiated by the 27-year-old with the tag. 

Since his statement in August last year, a lot has happened in both spheres. Noah’s several behaviors have repeatedly earned him the label of a vehement opponent of basketball among fans. One such example occurred last year during Adidas’s shoe release program for Anthony Edwards, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ standout player. Notably, Noah didn’t attend the program, despite being invited by his sponsor. The commotion occurred during his negotiation with Adidas regarding his contract. 

Later, disclosing the reason, Noah brought his ‘world champion’ tag to the forefront. He vehemently put, “You want to invite me to [an event for] a man who has not even been to an NBA Finals? In a sport that you don’t even care about? And you’re giving him a shoe?” Yet, the six-time world champion didn’t lose respect for ‘Ant’. But per him, he had been knocking at Adidas’s door to avail him of his signature spikes. But he didn’t receive it while others made it. However, the entire fiasco enraged the basketball fans. They also ignored Noah’s attempt to diffuse the situation by claiming it was unintentional. Therefore, his appearance on Friday night in a basketball arena was bound to send shockwaves through the community, and it occurred. 

Fans mark Noah Lyles’s attempt as an effort to fix his popularity

However, Noah Lyles received a few more supporting statements from the basketball realm when he questioned the world champion tag of the NBA final winners. His logic had been the absence of a national flag in the NBA finals, despite having players from different nationalities. On this point, the Olympic champion earned support from Giannis Antetokounmpo. Hailing from Greece, Giannis promotes the diverse nature of the NBA. But in the league, he represents his club, Milwaukee Bucks, not Greece. As a result, he believes that winning the NBA championship does not automatically qualify someone as a world champion. A similar voice! Isn’t it? Noting this, a basketball enthusiast expressed his support for Noah by writing, “I never really hated him tbh. I actually thought he had a point on the “World Champions” thing.” Noah has a few more supporters in the debate. They have also supported the logic presented by the sprinter. Yet, a few fans didn’t take his presence in the Orlando game positively. 

One such fan chimed in, commenting, “world champ meeting world champ franz wagner wow.” Meanwhile, Wagner represents the Orlando Magic club in the NBA, despite hailing from German origin. A flag issue again! Additionally, the 23-year-old also boasts of having won the 2023 FIBA World Cup, playing for Germany. So isn’t he a world champion? The fan made this comment, taking a dig at Noah’s statement. But in the meantime, someone mentioned, “You said you don’t know basketball on Shannon’s interview.”

Following the Paris Olympics, Noah attended the Nightcap show hosted by Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson. During the interaction with Sharpe and Johnson, he made various assertions about his animosity with the NBA players. However, this did not sit well with many basketball fans. The comment proves the reality of it. So what did Noah Lyles attend the game with Junelle? A fan answered, “Trying to rebuild that relationship with NBA consumers.” In the meantime, Noah’s many projects are on the cards, waiting to be released. The second season of the Sprint docu-series is one such. Furthermore, he has also expressed an interest in other ventures, such as fashion. Therefore, the comment can not be ignored. But what do you think about Noah’s recent activity? Let us know.