A lot of NBA fans probably don’t know who Noah Lyles is. Well, that changed on Sunday after the United States Olympian decided to call out the league for brandishing itself with the “World Champions” title. Lyles clearly does not agree with the notion, and he went out on an unfiltered rant about why he feels this way.
Noah Lyles Blasts NBA’s ‘World Champions’ Claim
According to Lyles, the NBA simply has no right to name its top team as the “World Champions.” He argues that teams in the league are all from the United States (and two from Canada), which is why it doesn’t make sense to call them “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 head,” Lyles said. “World champion of what? The United States?”
“World champion of what? The United States?”
Track and Field star Noah Lyles on NBA champs calling themselves World Champs.
(via @eurosport) pic.twitter.com/do1WC2vdYb
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 27, 2023
Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard Among NBA Superstars Who Clap Back at Noah Lyles
Well, NBA stars have caught wind of Lyles’ hot take, and they weren’t too happy either. You just knew that Kevin Durant was going to have something to say about it, and true enough, he was the first big name to clap back at Lyles:
“Somebody help this brother,” Durant said.
Damian Lillard also could not help but laugh at Lyles’ take:
“Tf😂😂” Lillard commented.
Phoenix Suns superstar Devin Booker also chimed in, using the face palm emoji to express his reaction. Newly crowned champ Aaron Gordon took the jab a bit more personally:
“Whatever… I’m smoking buddy in the 200m,” Gordon said.
Even 20-year veteran Udonis Haslem, who himself has three championships to his name, had to speak out:
“Big fan but gon wit that bulls**t bra…” Haslem wrote in his comment.
Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and other NBA players respond to Noah Lyles' comments. pic.twitter.com/O1eApkNpFG
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 28, 2023
Juan Toscano-Anderson and Tyus Jones were a couple of players who jumped on the bandwagon as well and they too clapped back at the outspoken Olympian. Lyles is obviously drawing a lot of flack for his comments, so it will be very interesting to see how he reacts to the backlash.
Our Partners
Mayfield Sports Marketing
Call Mayfield Sports Marketing at 262-366-8188 to schedule Green Bay Packers players or alumni for your corporate appearance or product promotion. Our booking agents will work on your behalf to get you the best price for your desired sports speaker.
Mayfield Sports Marketing has earned a reputation of being the one to call for booking top athletes to speak at events and trade shows. To learn more about Packers players or alumni appearance cost and booking fee, please call us today. www.MayfieldSports.com.
Radtke Sports
Wisconsin Sports Heroics is proud partner with Radtke Sports to offer autographed memorabilia. Brett Favre, Rob Gronkowski, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and MORE Guaranteed Authentic Collectibles and Memorabilia including signed jerseys, photos, and more at www.RadtkeSports.com USE promo code: WSH for FREE SHIPPING on your purchase. Some restrictions may apply.
For More Wisconsin Sports:
Follow me on Twitter at @PaoloSongcoNBA, and follow us @WiSportsHeroics. Also, check out our Merchandise Here! Get 20% off with the code “WSH.” You can also reach out to Paolo Songco via email at pao.songco@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Wisconsin sports, click here! Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers, Milwaukee Bucks, Wisconsin Badgers.
