“Can’t shit on other sports”: After Victory, Noah Lyles Attack on NBA Leaves Internet in Splits

American champion Noah Lyles has always maintained his “cool guy” image. From challenging Jamaican legend Usain Bolt to winning his first double sprints in the 2023 World Championships, the superstar athlete has always drawn admiration from the fans. His fans especially love his confident and outspoken nature. However, this same confidence and outspokenness recently landed him in hot water when he made a controversial comment about another sport.

Lyles revealed that he is ready to “transcend the sport” and become famous for activities outside the track. About his recent double medal win at the World Athletics Championships, Lyles said it helped him to come to the attention of the public. He expressed his dissatisfaction with his own sport for not being mainstream, but went on to diss the NBA.

Noah Lyles takes a dig at the NBA

Lyles is now the reigning world champion in track and field. The superstar sprinter was baffled at seeing the NBA champions refer to themselves as “world champions”. In an interview, the athlete ranted against the National Basketball Association for claiming to be world champions when they only compete within the United States. A Twitter user shared FloTrack’s coverage interview, who broke the story with the caption, “Noah Lyles has had it with a certain pro sports league calling their league winners the “World Champions””. Lyles began expressing his frustration on the video, talking about the lack of support for sprinters even though they bring international glory to America.

Then he turned his attention to the NBA and blasted the league for using the world champion title. He inquired, “World champion of what?” and added, “We are the world. We have almost every country out here fighting, thriving putting on a flag to show that they are representative”. He was clearly irate about the NBA’s popularity in the U.S. over his own sport, even though they represent the nation on the world stage. His remarks have attracted the ire of the fans on social media, who have criticized the legendary athlete vehemently.

Fan backlash on social media over his NBA critique

The 26-year-old’s criticism of the NBA athletes has angered the fans who have called him out on his alleged disrespect. One fan agreed with his point of view but did not like his rant about another sport, saying, “Can’t shit on other sports when your sport is at the bottom, I get what your saying tho”. Another viewer wrote to defend Lyles and pointed out that his critique was not meant to disrespect NBA athletes in a comment that read,

A staunch basketball fan clapped back in defence of the NBA’s title choice, saying,

One commenter sparked the embers even more by referring to the superiority of the Japanese team in basketball, saying,

Another fan returned fire in favor of the NBA, saying,

Read More: 24-Year-Old American Track and Field Star’s Sportsmanship Gesture Compared to Absent Sydney McLaughlin

The sprinter’s criticism has overshadowed the celebrations online for his recent track and field record at the World Athletics Championships. His documentary series is also going to premiere soon. At this juncture, it is still unclear how his controversial comments will impact the reception of his upcoming documentary.

Watch This Story: Despite the Loss on Track, Shelly-Ann-Fraser-Pryce Won Hearts at World Athletics Championships