Noah Lyles doubles down on world champions' comments that have angered NBA stars
Superstar sprinter Noah Lyles is not backing down after angering NBA players by saying the league title does not equate to a world championship, insisting the attitudes are reflective of America at large.
The American was the shining light of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest last month, winning gold medals in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay, and he made use of the spotlight by getting something off his chest, hitting out at the NBA for crowning its winning team as "World Champions", despite the sport being played to an elite level in many countries around the world.
"Don’t get me wrong. I love the U.S., at times, but that ain’t the world," Lyles said, angering several NBA players, including former MVP Kevin Durant. The Phoenix Suns star posted: "Somebody help this brother," and teammate Devin Booker responded with a facepalm emoji.
ESPN pundit Stephen A. Smith went in hard on Lyles, saying on First Take: "First of all, congratulations to your greatness. Continue to represent this country the way you did, major props to you. He just came across as flagrantly ignorant. And that needs to be said. The NBA has established itself as a global iconic brand.
"Arguably the best player in the game today, in a lot of people's eyes, is Nikola Jokic. You have guys from Serbia, Slovenia, the list goes on. Luka Doncic, where's he from? Slovenia. Giannis Antetokounmpo, where's he from? Greece."
LeBron James edges closer to NBA scoring record with jaw-dropping Lakers displayHowever, Lyles has not been affected by the response to his comments, and he has welcomed the debate not only on the specific issue but also the attitude of Americans about their country's place in the world.
Speaking after winning the 200m at the Diamond League meeting in Switzerland on Thursday, he told reporters: "To be honest, I'm just glad we're having the conversation. It's been underlying for so long but no one really wanted to talk about it. With everybody actually saying things about it, now you have dialogue.
"Of course, maybe there will be opinions that will change and maybe there won't, but at least we're having the conversation. It's funny, you look at my comments, you'll have people in the U.S. versus the world. Everyone in the world is very much on my side and the U.S. is usually leaning towards the opinion of the NBA.
"But that just goes to show how we view ourselves in the U.S. and I'm just glad we're having the conversation."
The United States is competing at the FIBA Basketball World Cup with a youthful squad in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia, winning all three group games to advance to the knockout round.