The basketball community couldn’t help but laugh over U.S. track and field star Noah Lyles’ recent comments in which he took issue with NBA players referring to themselves as “world champions” after winning an NBA title.
“You know what hurts me the most is that I have to watch the NBA Finals and they have ‘world champion’ on their head,” Lyles, 26, said during a press conference at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest this past weekend.
“World champion of what? The United States? Don’t get me wrong, I love the U.S., at times. But that ain’t the world … there ain’t no flags in the NBA.”
NBA players including Phoenix Suns stars Kevin Durant and Devin Booker and Denver Nuggets’ reigning NBA champion Aaron Gordon took to social media to respond.
“Somebody help this brother,” Durant wrote, while Booker just added a face palm emoji.
Gordon, however, challenged the six-time world champion sprinter to a race.
“Whatever… I’m smoking buddy in the 200m,” he wrote.
Lyles — who claimed the 200-meter sprint double on his way to three gold medals at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest — has yet to respond.
Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo chimed in with: “Lol is somebody going to tell him??”
Adebayo was a member of the 2020 Olympic team that won gold with Durant, Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard and four-time Warriors NBA champion Draymond Green.
“Tf [The f–k],” Lillard commented, adding a few crying laughing emojis.
“Last time I checked, the NBA has the best competition in the WORLD,” Juan Toscano-Anderson, who last played for the Utah Jazz, wrote.
Free agent guard Austin Rivers, a former first-round pick, was cringing over Lyles’ comments and delivery.
“Simply put,” he wrote. “Best players in the world play in the league. So… winning a NBA championship qualifies as world champs. [I don’t know] what’s more cringe, his comment or his voice and delivery.”
