“The whole league doesn’t rate u” - Drake lashes out at Noah Lyles for hot take on NBA 'World Champions'
Drake, the Canadian hip-hop sensation, is among a host of NBA fans who are at odds with Noah Lyles due to his remark on the NBA Championship and how they shouldn't be considered "World Champions."
Lyles has been anointed by many as the successor to Usain Bolt himself in terms of athletics royalty and is an American sporting legend already, but has earned the ire of NBA fans with a statement of his.
Lyles was on top of his world, creating waves across the globe with his thrilling performances in the World Championships. The American sprinter accomplished the coveted treble of gold medals for a sprinter, taking home the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay gold medals - an extremely impressive achievement indeed. But his subsequent comments seem to have triggered NBA fans and players worldwide.
Noah Lyles spoke about how mainstream attention evades him despite his success and compared the stature of his achievements to that of NBA players. Lyles, an actual world champion, believes that players having NBA Championship should not be referred to as "World Champions" as it isn't an accurate representation of champions of a national sporting league.
Lyles received major backlash from NBA fans and players alike in response to the same. And Drake, a renowned NBA fanatic, seems to be the latest high-profile name to hop on the Lyle-bashing train.
"He thought this speech was gonna be so hard in the mirror the night before" said Drake, mocking Lyles' intention.
"Now the whole league doesn't rate u" continued Drake as he ripped Lyles' statement apart.
Sprinters most definitely do not get the fame that comes with being an NBA star, and Lyles' statement was an attempt to bring light to the same. And somehow, Lyles managed to get his message across even though the entire NBA community seems to have turned against him.
Drake is part of a group including Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Damian Lillard in mocking Noah Lyles.
While the entire NBA community seems to have taken issue with Lyles' statement, there is no denying the fact that it is on paper, a truthful statement. Unlike other sports such as football, where there are tournaments such as the FIFA Club World Cup, designed to anoint the "World Champion", basketball is devoid of such a contest.
Star Players like Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Damian Lillard took a dig at Lyles' remark on their NBA community.
The NBA or the National Basketball Association plays host only to teams limited to the United States of America and Canada. Other prominent leagues such as the Euroleague and the Chinese Basketball Association's league are also limited in regional scope. There is technically no "world champion" in basketball although the NBA is widely regarded as the best league in the world and the NBA champion team is the best team in the world.
So, Lyles didn't make a wrong statement. He just managed to say enough to offend the biggest names associated with the NBA - including Damian Lillard and Devin Booker - two names who have notably not been "world champions" by any stretch of the word.