Noah Lyles is a charismatic, boisterous athlete who is not afraid to say what’s on his mind in his effort to push track and field’s profile higher in the sporting world. Last year, however, that put him at odds with some of the most high-profile basketball players in the NBA.
At last year’s world championships, Lyles won the 100-meter and 200-meter races – a double he’s trying to repeat in the Olympics on Thursday night after winning the 100m on Sunday – and wasn’t shy about comparing his accomplishments to those of his professional basketball counterparts back in the US.
When speaking to reporters at the World Championships in Budapest, Lyles was asked about what he wanted to do for track and field and what he’d like to see to improve the sport’s profile.
Lyles said the medals he wins are the first step to raising track’s awareness in the public’s eye and that he wants more former world champions to be present at high-profile meets. And then he took a turn into taking a shot at the NBA.
“You know the thing that hurts me the most is that I have to watch the NBA Finals and they have ‘world champion’ on they head. World champion of what? The United States? Don’t get me wrong, I love the US – at times – but that ain’t the world,” Lyles said.
“We are the world. We have almost every country out here fighting, thriving, putting on their flag to show they are represented. There ain’t no flags in the NBA.”
Lyles’ comment hit on something that sports fans in the rest of the world often mock about US sports culture. In almost every major American sport, the champion of the league is referred to as the world champion, even though those teams only play against other franchises that are based in either the US or Canada.
But the US’ distinct sporting culture means that the four major American sports – football, basketball, baseball and hockey – are head and shoulders above those sports’ domestic leagues in other nations. Most of the best players from around the world in those sports end up playing for American teams, hence the claim to the title of world champion: case and point, the last six NBA MVP awards went to players who were born abroad.
Lyles’ comment was not welcomed by the American NBA players who he had called out.
Two-time NBA champion and 2014 MVP Kevin Durant, who has also been named Finals MVP twice in his illustrious career, led the charge.
“Somebody help this brother,” he wrote on Instagram, responding to an ESPN post.
Four-time NBA champion Draymond Green also got involved, writing on Instagram, “When being smart goes wrong” with the face-palm emoji. Devin Booker, who plays on Team USA in these Olympics and the Phoenix Suns, just simply posted a facepalm emoji.
So if Lyles ends up winning the 100m-200m double, don’t expect very many American NBA players to be celebrating publicly.
