After Team USA‘s win over Serbia, the USA Basketball account X may have taken a sly shot at Noah Lyles. The account posted a few pictures of Team USA’s win and joked about them securing a spot in the gold medal game, and therefore either a gold or silver medal, that they do not play for bronze medals at the Olympics.
“We don’t play for Bronze.”
We don't play for Bronze.
🇺🇸 #USABMNT #Paris2024 #Basketball pic.twitter.com/2p7cOsJtx2
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) August 8, 2024
This post caught the eye of many fans, as it was just a few hours after Noah Lyles secured the bronze medal in the 200-meter race at the Olympics. Lyles, who later revealed he ran the race while suffering from COVID-19, has been a polarizing figure among basketball circles since last year.
Noah Lyles took a shot at the NBA last year for calling their winners world champions, claiming that a winner of a national league cannot be considered world champions. These comments drew criticism from several players, including Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.
This debate got heated further after Lyles secured the gold medal in the 100-meter race for Team USA. Booker responded to Noah Lyles winning gold by saying that it is harder for a team to win the NBA championship than it is to win a gold medal at the Olympics.
Obviously, it is not a fair comparison, as the Olympics is a much smaller, round-robin tournament played out over a few weeks. Whereas the NBA season is more of a league format that forces teams to play for months before the playoffs even begin. But clearly, there is a lot animosity toward Lyles for his comments.
Was USA Basketball’s Comments In Poor Taste?
Obviously, it should be noted that there is no confirmation about the shot being taken at Noah Lyles. But it is too convenient in its timing for it to be considered a pure coincidence. Furthermore, NBA players had been in attendance to see Lyles win gold, with Joel Embiid even walking out as soon as Lyles crossed the finish line.
Noah Lyles winning a bronze medal was disappointing for American supporters but can be understood when it was revealed that he caught COVID-19 two days before the race, and that affected his performance.
Furthermore, for the social media handle of an American team to seemingly take a shot at another American athlete during the Olympics, when they should be presenting a united front at the pinnacle of world sports.
Despite this, Team USA could be motivated by Noah Lyles’ comments, and his performance in the 200-meter race, to win the gold medal to prove a point to him. But it will not be easy, as they must overcome the host nation France, led by Victor Wembanyama to secure the gold.
With their performance against Serbia coming under fire, Team USA will have to lock in and focus ahead of their game on Saturday. Players like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant, will have to deliver another excellent performance to win it all in Paris.
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