"They can't just slap everybody together": Noah Lyles softens his controversial stance on NBA world champion claimÂ
Last summer, track star Noah Lyles made waves after his comments regarding NBA teams calling themselves world champions. Following Team USA's gold medal win in the 2024 Olympics, he broke his silence on the achievement.
After dominating the competition all tournament long, Team USA took on France Saturday in a highly anticipated matchup. Thanks to another dazzling performance from Steph Curry and others, the United States took down the host country to be the last team standing.
Two days after the win, Noah Lyles finally shared his thoughts on Team USA winning gold. He feels they can be called world champions because they won on an international stage.
"It's not a thing of if I consider or not,' Lyles said. "It's...they are. They're Olympic champions and in the Olympic champions you face the whole world."
"And they saw how difficult it is," Lyles added. "And of course they came out on top and of course I knew they would. Because we have some of the greatest athletes but they saw you can't just slap everybody together and say 'This is a great team.'"
Noah Lyles doesn't agree with NBA title winners calling themselves world champions
This ordeal between Noah Lyles and the NBA started about a year ago after the sprinter won the 200-meter at the World Athletics Championships. While at the podium, he jabbed at the league for dubbing the title winners world champions.
At the time, the Denver Nuggets had just taken down the Miami Heat to win the franchise's first title. During his press conference, Lyles was not shy about the NBA overstepping with the crowning of a world champion.
"The thing that hurts me the most is that I have to watch the NBA Finals and they have world champion on they head," Lyles said. "World champion of what?
"Don't get me wrong I love the U.S. at times, but that aint the world."
Noah Lyles just wrapped up his second Olympics with Team USA. Before dropping out of the competition due to contracting COVID, the star sprinter won a pair of medals in Paris. Lyles took home gold in the men's 100-meter and bronze in the 200-meter.
The 27-year-old first suited up for the United States in the 2020 Olympics, where he also took home bronze in the 200-meter. Lyles has had most of his success in the World Athletics Championships, winning six gold medals from 2019 to 2023.