Noah Lyles is savoring a moment of triumph this Friday following the unexpected upset of the U.S. by Germany in the semifinal round of the FIBA World Cup.
The accomplished U.S. sprinter faced criticism from both NBA players and fans last month due to a comment he made after clinching his third world championship title in the men’s 200 meters.
Lyles and Fans React
Now, Lyles is playfully returning some of that criticism to the basketball community following Team USA’s surprising loss.
Lyles retweeted a post (which he later deleted) that juxtaposed the final score of the game with a meme featuring himself, wearing an incredulous expression, alongside his famous soundbite: “World champion of what?”
Many others joined in, sharing similar memes, either in solidarity with Lyles or to jest at a U.S. team that had entered the tournament as a strong contender for the gold medal.
Following the loss, USA has been attacked left right and centre as many agreed they should stop labeling themselves as the world champions.
One of the most stinging jabs, without a doubt, comes from the World Athletics, the international athletics federation.
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) September 8, 2023
The controversial quote was part of Lyles’ response to a question regarding the state of track and field. He passionately expressed his frustration with the sport’s stars not receiving adequate recognition despite their impressive performances against top global competitors.
NBA Stars Respond to Lyles’ Critique
Lyles stated,
“You know what pains me the most? It’s having to watch the NBA Finals with ‘world champion’ on their heads. World champion of what? The United States? Don’t get me wrong; I love the U.S. — at times — but that isn’t the world. That’s not the world. We are the world. We have nearly every country here, fighting, thriving, proudly displaying their flags to signify their representation. There are no flags in the NBA. We need to do more. We must present ourselves to the world.”
Numerous NBA stars, including Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, Draymond Green, Bam Adebayo, Devin Booker, Aaron Gordon, Tyus Jones, Juan Toscano-Anderson, and Udonis Haslem, took to social media to express their disagreement with Lyles’ remarks.
They emphasized that the NBA features the finest talent globally and highlighted that the U.S. had secured Olympic gold in 2020.
