Noah Lyles is still making headlines, but this time it’s not just for his performance in track and field. However, the Olympian is in his off-season right now, soaking in leisure and making memories in his personal life. He has nothing to do with sports as of now. Yet, his once-made comments are still making waves in the realms of sports, be it basketball or baseball. Talking about basketball, Lyles put something fiery last year, aiming for the World Champions tag of the NBA winners. In a press conference after his treble victory at the Budapest World Athletics Championships, the athlete dropped the thunderbolt, saying, “You know what hurts me the most is that I have to watch the NBA Finals and they have ‘World Champion’ on their heads.” Those lines sent shockwaves to the corners of the sports world. 

In the reaction, stars like Kevin Durant criticized Lyles for flowing such lines. However, the athlete found some supporting voice as well. Yet he didn’t try to douse the fire. Instead, he continued to hurl attacks at the title. Now it seems Lyles has gained Kike Hernandez’s attention. 

Kike Hernandez tries to unsettle Noah Lyles with his dig

On Wednesday (October 30), the Los Angeles Dodgers grabbed the World Series title in the MLB for a record eight times. They achieved the stunning victory with a 7-6 comeback win over the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. The Dodgers stretched their limits in game 5 to secure the much-anticipated victory. They eventually turned berserk on the adversary, overcoming their obstacles in every way. Naturally, the moment of joy after landing the victory left the team on cloud nine. Meanwhile, the Dodgers’ second baseman, Enrique ‘Kike’ Hernandez, did something unexpected while celebrating the victory. In the high moment during the champagne party, he laid out, “We’re here, World Series Champions—S*ck it, Noah Lyles.” Definitely, the hurling was pointed to Lyles’ jibe at the NBA players. But he had no qualms with the MLB title. 

More than a year ago, when Noah put his comment on attacking the tag, he subsequently mentioned the reason for his words. In the press conference, he explained, “We have almost every country out here [in athletics] fighting, thriving, putting on their flag to show that they are represented. There ain’t no flags in the NBA.” His logic found ground under its feet when several NBA standouts threw their weight behind Noah. And even if the 27-year-old didn’t take the MLB or World Series’ name in the debate, his logic may apply there as well. 

Just like in NBA, and in the World Series as well, there’s no flag, and the foreign players have no special identity. In fact, belonging to Puerto Rico, Kike Hernandez does not have any special status, and he has no representation of his country’s national flag in the contest. Therefore, the Olympian’s logic may ignore his World Champion title as well. But did Kike present any argument to counter Noah’s logic after winning the tag? No. He didn’t. Yet he pulled Lyles’ name in to add flares. That part irked the track and field sports enthusiasts. On Reddit, they sharpened their attacks against the Dodgers’ #8 player for his deed. 

The track and field fans clap at Lyles’ comment for impacting deep

A lot of things have happened since Noah Lyles’ comment on the NBA winners. He has gained support from Giannis Antetokounmpo in questioning the World Champions title, and meanwhile, he has won Olympic gold in Paris. And the USA men’s basketball squad has claimed victory at the Paris Olympics. Thus, the NBA players from the team have earned the title of world’s best, with a reply to Noah.

As per fans, Kike Hernandez is still standing in the old boat, criticizing Noah. But doesn’t it prove Noah’s supremacy by making inroads into a different sport indirectly while remaining far away from the discussion? That probability made a fan comment on Reddit, “Man lives rent free in their heads.” Meanwhile, another fan joined the argument, pushing the topic. In his comment, the fan argued, “you’re celebrating a championship and one of your first thoughts is Noah Lyles? i’m sure Noah appreciates the attention tho.” That appears to be vindicated, since the Dodgers won the title last Wednesday for the first time in four years, following 2020.

Meanwhile, the moment took a lot of turns with the Dodgers’ band of players celebrating the victory in Yankee Stadium. Yet Kike could think about Noah’s name to describe the title. That leaves room for questions. And there it came, as someone put it, “I don’t agree with Hernández’ comments. Think it’s a bit funny that Noah still lives rent free in other peoples’ head.” But the fans’ crowd also had individuals who tried to connect the dots.

One such chimed in, “Noah’s critique still applies though— he was critiquing american leagues that call their final “world”-something like the NBA used to.” And the World Series has a similar recognition, carrying only the American flag. Therefore, the logic nullifies the status. Someone from the fans agreed to that and penned, “Still not the World Champions.”

Yes, according to the logic of Noah Lyles, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Gregg Popovich (the Hall of Famer NBA coach), the World Series should not give away the World Champions tag. What do you think about this, anyway?