Josh Hart Gets Real On Noah Lyles: “I Wanted Him To Lose”

Josh Hart said what most NBA fans felt during the Olympics when they saw Noah Lyles compete in the 100m men's sprint.

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Credit: Aleksandra Szmigiel/Reuters via USA TODAY Sports

Josh Hart couldn’t hide his disdain for Men’s 100m Olympic Gold medal winner Noah Lyles while on his podcast with Jalen Brunson, revealing that he wanted Lyles to lose the race despite him representing Team USA. Hart did admit that Lyles’ performance in the 100m was impressive enough for Hart to switch from a hater and give his respect.

“I feel like, for most of these Olympics, I was really patriotic. I wanted Team USA to win Gold at almost every event… I really wanted him to lose. I think it was the first time all of NBA Twitter got together and was just hating. I was hating, but now it’s respect, I can’t even hate anymore.”

Lyles’ comments after the 2023 FIBA World Cup about the NBA Champions not being the same as World Champions has been hurting many players in the league, as everyone has been banding together to hate on Lyles since last year. Team USA even attended the 100m sprint and watched Lyles do what he did.

Devin Booker openly gave Lyles his props after his Gold medal performance, but made it clear that he still disagrees with what the sprinter said about the NBA.

The basketball team winning Gold led to Lyles admitting that they’re Olympic Champions who beat the best teams in the world to earn that title. While more fans continue debating the difference between Olympic and World Champion, it seems the players and athletes involved in this beef are going to move past it. Maybe except for Anthony Edwards due to recent reports of beef between him and Lyles over Edwards’ signature sneaker.


Giannis Antetokounmpo Agreed With Noah Lyles’ World Champions Take

For what it’s worth, the take that Lyles has been so heavily demonized for is one that players and coaches within the NBA subscribe to. Giannis Antetokounmpo was arguably the biggest name to support what Lyles had to say, expressing the same during an interview last summer after the controversy had just started.

“I wanted to back him up so bad. He received so much backlash for saying the obvious. I think some people don’t understand it. Maybe it’s an arrogance thing,” Giannis began. “I don’t think in any other sport you’re called the world champions. In soccer, which is way bigger than the NBA and more popular than the NBA, the UEFA Champions League champions don’t say they’re world champions.”

Coaches like Gregg Popovich have previously gone against the practice of calling the NBA Champions ‘World’ champions as well, and that is a former Team USA coach himself. It’s not a practice internationally to call the winners of a national league the world champions, even if that league is undoubtedly the best league in the world.

With the NBA considering a possible matchup with the EuroLeague Champions to have an unofficial World Championship battle, we might soon move into a situation where Lyles’ comments caused the league to make a structural change because of the negative perception created worldwide by what Lyles said.

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Ishaan Bhattacharya is a content manager for Fadeaway World from New Delhi, India. With his expertise in NBA content creation, Ishaan brings a wealth of experience to his role, contributing to the site's authority and reach within the basketball community. Over the last year, Ishaan has interviewed Ray Allen and Mark Tatum, while also covering the 2023 NBA Abu Dhabi Games which saw the Dallas Mavericks take on the Minnesota Timberwolves.Since joining Fadeaway World in March 2022, Ishaan Bhattacharya has become known for his unique perspective on the NBA. He consistently delivers this insight through his daily news coverage and detailed opinion pieces on the most significant topics in the league.Before his tenure at Fadeaway World, Ishaan worked in corporate communications, where he serviced prominent sports brands, including NBA India, Sports18, Amazon Prime Sports, and Royal Challengers Bangalore. This experience in strategic communications for leading sports entities has enhanced his ability to craft impactful narratives and connect with a global audience.A true MFFLer (Mavs Fan for Life, for the uninitiated), Ishaan is a massive fan of the Dallas Mavericks. When he is not upset about Jalen Brunson walking in free agency, you can see Ishaan as an avid gamer and content creator. His passion for basketball extends beyond the Mavericks, as evidenced by his thoughtfully curated NBA Mount Rushmore, featuring LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Bill Russell—each representing distinct eras and bringing their unique qualities to the game.Featured On: ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Bleacher ReportYahoo Sports, NBA, Fox Sports, The Spun
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