Team USA players were present to watch American runner Noah Lyles participate in the 100-meter race in Paris on Sunday. While the broadcast never cut to the players in the stadium, some fans did spot them. They got to witness Lyles getting the win for the USA, securing the gold medal in the sprint.
lmfaoooo the usa men’s basketball team is at the 100m to watch noah lyles. 😭
— kimberly. (@problemsthots) August 4, 2024
One X user did point out that at the end of the race, when Lyles had secured the gold medal, Joel Embiid could be seen walking out of the stands, presumably to leave the stadium.
LMFAOOOO LOOK AT EMBIID LEAVING pic.twitter.com/pKDypSvR5V
— kimberly. (@problemsthots) August 4, 2024
Lyles has been quite the controversial figure in basketball discourse over the last year or so. Lyles famously called out the NBA for calling their winners ‘world champions’, claiming that a winner of a national league cannot be considered world champions if they haven’t defeated any international teams in the process.
Several players responded to Lyles’ comments, including Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Damian Lillard. Tyrese Haliburton actually went on to explain why the NBA calls winners ‘world champions’, as the NBA is the best basketball league in the world by some distance, and houses some of the best players all over the world.
However, some players, like Giannis Antetokounmpo, actually agreed with what Lyles had to say. Despite the backlash, Lyles stood firm in his belief, especially as a track runner who competes on the world stage on a regular basis.
There is merit to both sides of this argument. In theory, Lyles is right because the NBA is a national league – the ‘N’ in NBA does stand for national, after all. But at the same time, the NBA is far and away the best league in the world, and the best team in the NBA can be considered world champions because they are the best team in the best league.
Noah Lyles Is Public Enemy No. 1 For Basketball Fans
Noah Lyles made himself an enemy of ardent NBA fans with his comments, People were not happy with what he had to say about the league, and how dismissive he was about the ‘world champions’ title. While some of the discourse has been excessive, Lyles hasn’t exactly warmed himself to fans.
Lyles even trolled Team USA last year, after their disastrous performance at the FIBA World Cup, where they finished fourth in the tournament after losses to Germany and Canada. It is clear that even after he made those comments, Lyles feels a type of way about the distinction of ‘world champions’.
USA Basketball has a chance to get one-up Lyles in the Olympics, as they look to secure the gold medal for their country. After a perfect run so far, going 3-0 in their group-stage games, Team USA will face Brazil in the quarter-finals of the tournament.
A win in that game sends them to the semi-finals, where they will play the winner of Serbia vs. Australia. Team USA will be confident about their chances against either team, as they defeated both teams in their showcase games in the lead-up to the Olympics, and even beat Serbia in their group stage opener.
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