"Somebody help this brother": Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and NBA Stars fire back in response to Noah Lyles' remarks
Kevin Durant has been one of the most vocal athletes on social media today and he replied to what Noah Lyles said about being the world champions in the NBA.
The 26-year-old sprinter just added another gold medal to his trophy case by winning the 200m dash at the 2023 World Athletics Championships. In attaining this feat, Lyles was credited as the 'world champion' but made a side comment on why NBA champions are also considered to have the same recognition.
"You know the thing that hurts me the most is that I have to watch the NBA Finals and they have 'world champion' on their head. World champion of what? The United States?"," said Lyles in his post-competition press conference.
Don't get me wrong. I love the US at times, but that ain't the world. That is not the world. We are the world. We have almost every country out here fighting, thriving, putting on their flag to show that they are represented. There ain't no flags in the NBA," Lyles adds with a laugh in the end.
NBA players got into the comment and as expected, Kevin Durant is leading the charge in trying to correct Lyles' perspective. He wrote in the comment section of the ESPN post about Lyles:
"Somebody help this brother," Kevin Durant replied on social media.
Other players followed after Kevin Durant made his comment about Noah Lyles
Along with Kevin Durant, other NBA stars like Suns' teammate Devin Booker and Damian Lillard put in their comments and emojis to express their disagreement with Noah Lyles' comments.
The Denver Nuggets were the most recent NBA champions, led by two-time league MVP Nikola Jokic. His teammate and former 2023 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year, Aaron Gordon, chimed in with his thoughts on Lyles.
"Whatever... I'm smiling buddy in the 200m," said Gordon.
Mexican-American basketball player Juan Toscano-Anderson was also part of the 2022 NBA Champions, the Golden State Warriors. Being a foreign-American players in the league, he wants to correct Lyles' opinion on being a champion.
"Last time I checked, the NBA was the best competition in the WORLD," said Toscano-Anderson.
Three-time NBA champion Udonis Haslem of the Miami Heat expressed that he is a fan of Noah Lyles but he strongly disagrees with what Lyles said.
"Big fan but gon wit that bulls*** bra... #suckas," Haslem posted.
The backlash about what Noah Lyles said on being a world champion in the NBA has somehow overshadowed his recent success in the 2023 World Athletics Championships, especially for casual readers who don't really follow his sport.