Paris 2024 100m Gold medal winner Noah Lyles sent out a tweet to explain himself after a report suggested he didn’t go to Anthony Edwards‘ signature shoe launch because he felt like Ant didn’t deserve such an honor. Lyles explained why he didn’t attend the event on X while congratulating Edwards on becoming an Olympic champion.
“There is a rumor going around that I did not go to Anthony Edwards’ shoe release because he didn’t deserve it. That is not the case, he definitely deserves his shoes, he is an amazing player. The problem was finding time based on my prior engagements. Congratulations on becoming an Olympic Champion!”
There is a rumor going around that I did not go to @theantedwards_ shoe release because he didn’t deserve it. That is not the case he definitely deserves his shoes he is an amazing player. The problem was finding time based on my prior engagements.
Congratulations on Becoming an…
— Noah Lyles, OLY (@LylesNoah) August 12, 2024
Fans have pointed out that Lyles saying ‘Congratulations on becoming an Olympic Champion’ was passive-aggressive given the online debates about the difference between world champions and Olympic champions. Also, the rumor started with his own quotes to TIME Magazine, so it’s clear Lyles was either being dishonest in that interview or is being dishonest now.
“You want to do what? You want to invite me to [an event for] a man who has not even been to an NBA Finals? In a sport that you don’t even care about? And you’re giving him a shoe? No disrespect: the man is an amazing athlete. He is having a heck of a year. I love that they saw the insight to give him a shoe because they saw that he was going to be big. All I’m asking is, ‘How could you not see that for me?’”
When Lyles made his ‘World champion of what?’ comments against the NBA Champions last year, he definitely had a point. NBA Champions aren’t world champions, with that title belonging to Germany at the time of winning the FIBA World Cup.
However, Lyles has indicated that he has a certain level of dislike for American basketball players with his repeated comments against them. It seems the Team USA players don’t like Lyles, even if they do respect his speed on the track.
Noah Lyles Has Started Softening His Stance
Multiple reporters have discussed Lyles’ comments on Team USA with the star sprinter after the men’s basketball Gold had been won. Lyles made it clear that they’re the Olympic champions and beat the World to do so while saying that they learned their lesson in terms of just throwing talent together and hoping it brings them success.
“It’s not a thing of if I consider or not. It’s… they are. They’re Olympic champions and as the Olympic champions, you face the whole world. And they saw how difficult it is. 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.'”
We can be pedantic and continue this argument by doing the ‘Germany are World Champions, the USA are Olympic Champions’ schtick, but in most sports disciplines outside soccer, winning Gold at the Olympics is a bigger achievement than winning a World Cup.
Team USA is the best basketball team in the world and they proved it this summer. That’s all that needs to be said until the 2027 FIBA World Cup and the 2028 LA Olympics.
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