USA Basketball appears to have taken a jab at Noah Lyles.
Lyles is known for being outspoken. In fact, Botswana sprinter Letsile Tebogo has described him as ‘arrogant and loud’.
One of Lyles’ controversial opinions concerns USA Basketball and the NBA’s annual championships.
Last year, the Denver Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat 4-1 to claim the title. This year, the Boston Celtics beat the Dallas Mavericks to become the 2024 champions.
However, Lyles has an issue with NBA champions calling themselves ‘world champions’.
“You know what hurts me the most is that I have to watch the NBA Finals, and they have ‘world champion’ on their heads,” he lamented last year.
“World champion of what? The United States? 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,” Lyles commented on the World Athletics Championships where he had competed. “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. We gotta do more. We gotta be presented to the world.”
However, USA Basketball has demonstrated its global dominance by winning gold at the Olympics.
Sporting legends like LeBron James and Steph Curry were part of this year’s Olympic team, which defeated hosts France to secure the top spot.
Following their victory, the USA Basketball official Twitter account posted: “WORLD CHAMPIONS,” along with a first medal and American flag emojis.
This led many to believe that it was a subtle dig at Lyles’ 2023 comments.
“NOAH LYLES COME OUTSIDE,” one person responded to the post.
“@LylesNoah basketball community wants to have a chat real quick,” joked another.
Nonetheless, some argued that Team USA isn’t technically the world champions.
“Noah Lyles obviously hit a real nerve and no you’re still not, you’re Olympic Champions,” someone insisted.
Another clarified: “Olympic champions not world champions.”
A third individual noted: “Olympic champions. Reigning world champions are Germany.”
If you search for the world basketball champion, you’ll see that Germany is the current champion, having defeated Serbia in the final of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
But, since Team USA overcame several other countries to win gold at the Olympics, does that make them the new world champions?
Who’d have thought there was so much politics in sport…
UNILAD has reached out to Noah Lyles’ representatives for comment.