After Tyreek Hill jab, Noah Lyles says he doesn't know who Nikola Jokic is amid viral debate
Last year, Noah Lyles made waves with his comments regarding the NBA and what they call their champions. The Olympic sprinter has caught heat again after jabbing at one of the game's biggest stars.
Earlier this week, Lyles joined Shannon Sharpe and Chad Ochocino on their "Nightcap" podcast. As expected, his comments from last summer were brought up. Lyles stood with his initial thoughts, stating that NBA champs are talented but shouldn't claim the title of world champions.
As the conversation ensued, Sharpe asked Noah Lyles his thoughts on some of the NBA's top international stars. He knew who Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo were, but claimed he didn't know who Nikola Jokic was.
"Is Nikola Jokic one of the best players in the world?" Sharpe asked.
"I'm gonna be honest I don't know who that is," Lyles responded.
Similar to Lyles, Jokic spent some of his summer in Paris competing in the 2024 Olympics. He represented his home country of Serbia and helped lead them to a bronze medal in men's basketball. Jokic and company almost pulled off a massive upset in the semifinals but were on the wrong side of a massive comeback against Team USA.
As for Lyles, these comments come on the heels of him being jabbed at by another pro athlete. Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill was recently quoted saying he could beat the gold-medal sprinter in a race.
Noah Lyles opens up more on NBA comments from last summer
It is suprising to see Noah Lyles say he doesn't know who Nikola Jokic is seeing how connected the two are. He made his infamous comments about the NBA after the Denver Nuggets took down the Miami Heat in the finals.
Last summer, Lyles said he didn't believe the NBA should crown world champions since they only compete nationally. During his appearance on "Nightcap," he went further in depth with his thoughts on the topic.
"We have a different way in America of seeing our sports," Lyles said. "The problem that I had was you are giving the title of a world champion to people who weren't facing the world. That's where I drew the line and said that's hurtful."
While Noah Lyles is right about most of the NBA teams being based in the U.S., the game continues to expand across the globe. Jokic is a prime example of this, as he is one of the many international superstars in the league.
Seeing that a year has passed and he doubled down on his comments, it doesn't look like Lyles will be changing his mind anytime soon.