US sprinter Noah Lyles after winning the gold medal in the 100m race of the World Championship, criticized NBA players for labeling themselves as world champions after winning the NBA title.
“You know what hurts me the most is that I have to watch the NBA Finals, and they have ‘world champion’ on their head. World champion of what? The United States? Don’t get me wrong. I love the US at times. But that ain’t the world,” said Lyles.
Following his comments, many NBA stars took to Instagram and Twitter to clap back at Lyles, claiming that the NBA is without question the best basketball league in the world.
With that said, Twitter seems torn on this latest debate regarding world champions.
“[Noah Lyles] came across as flagrantly ignorant… The best players from around the world descend upon America to join the [NBA].”
Stephen A. Smith fires back at the USA runner for his “Not a world championship” statement 🗣
(via @FirstTake) pic.twitter.com/ngXZdg9k1i
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 28, 2023
NBA stars got salty cause Noah Lyles spoke the truth about world champions.
Imagine Man City winning the UCL and claiming they’re the soccer world champions.
They don’t do that. The same way the NBA shouldn’t call their champions, WORLD champions.
(1/2)
— Dionysis Aravantinos (@AravantinosDA) August 28, 2023
I don’t know why NBA or is it American sports lovers are so triggered by what Noah Lyles said. He is right. For a team to be world champion, you need to compete against other TEAMS from around the world. Not between a bunch of teams in your country and one or two from your…
— Fentuo Tahiru Fentuo (@Fentuo_) August 29, 2023
Noah Lyles was speaking facts about the NBA champions not being World Champions. Imagine Man City claiming they are “World Champions” after winning the UCL. It doesn’t make any sense, even if it is the best league in the world. pic.twitter.com/jAZVHQhyhv
— MC (@CrewsMat10) August 28, 2023
Noah Lyles’ comments are not ignorant, Stephen A’s comments are. The NBA is not a world league because you have international players. It is simply a domestic league which allows international talent.
The winners of the NBA Championship are NBA champions period – at the most…
— T-Keys2022 (@ASKomolafe) August 28, 2023
US NBA players coming for Noah Lyles because he said a plainly true thing is so frigging USian. It’s the fact that there is actually a FIBA Basketball World Cup and Spain is the actual reigning basketball world champion.
— Kenyatta Powell (Black, Green & Gold Ranger) (@kenyatta_pow) August 28, 2023
Best players in the world are in the nba. No exceptions. Zero. If they are good enough internationally they get to the nba. Plenty of great players in the premier league that don’t qualify for the UCL, that’s a completely different thing than the nba and the rest of the world
— Aadan (@JMurrayWrld) August 28, 2023
you can’t compare soccer to basketball. there are several leagues that are incredibly strong with very good teams. there’s the NBA and that’s it. no one else can compare
— MysticLeviathan aka Devon (@MysticLeviathan) August 28, 2023
Maturing as a sports enthusiast or athlete is realizing Noah Lyles is right 🤐
— Lele 🫧 (@lelegenkai) August 28, 2023
It’s ironic that SAS is sat up there calling Noah Lyles ignorant when he in fact is the ignorant one.
You cannot be a world champion if all the teams you face are domiciled in the same country.
How is that so hard for Americans to understand? https://t.co/ndhaeBGCQk
— Bolaji (@ThisIsBolaji) August 28, 2023
Noah Lyles is #1 trending in the world, who’s the real champion 😂😂
— C.Waitz (@cwaitzman28) August 28, 2023
My take on Noah Lyles’ comments is that there’s no such thing as being world champs in non-international competition. If it’s a club/franchise competition you are the champ of whatever that league/tourney is.
Man City won the treble we don’t go around calling them world champs
— Vivek Jacob (@vivekmjacob) August 28, 2023
Noah Lyles, 6x WORLD CHAMPION said that winners of the NATIONAL basketball association aren’t considered WORLD champions and people are mad?! 🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️ the education system truly failed. The answer is literally in the name of the organization
— DMC (@ClaypoolCoaches) August 28, 2023
Noah Lyles was right whether you agree with him or not lol. Having the best players in the world play in a competition specific to just that one country, doesn’t make them world Champions. It just makes them champions.
— Teeth Sweat (@notslicka_333) August 28, 2023
If Team USA don’t win the WC, Noah Lyles has the opportunity to do the funniest thing ever
— soul sold separately (@guerlainguerier) August 28, 2023
Well, NOW everyone is going to know who Noah Lyles is, lol
— Alex Predhome, in the pocket of Big Pedestrian (@Predamame) August 28, 2023
Asked former NBA champ (currently France G.M.) Boris Diaw about Noah Lyles’ NBA champion/World champion comments:
“When I became NBA champ, I liked to call myself NBA champ not world champ.
“The UEFA Champions League champs don’t call themselves world champs…”
FULL ANSWER: pic.twitter.com/bECqKytVzU
— Antonis Stroggylakis (@AStroggylakis) August 28, 2023
The reaction from the US to Noah Lyles comments is the perfect mirror into American Exceptionalism, and it is fascinating.
They genuinely believe the NBA winner is a world champion because the league has the world’s best players, not because different nations play for it.
— Gary Al-Smith (@garyalsmith) August 28, 2023
The fundamental misunderstanding of Americans with this is crazy to see. Noah Lyles is just telling the truth.
The NBA is the best league, but it’s still a national one. Only Americans win domestic leagues and call themselves world champs. They do it with the NFL and MLB, too. https://t.co/iJWPwabY7Y
— Aldo-sama (@Aldolunya) August 28, 2023
NBA players taking offense to this very accurate statement by Noah Lyles is hilariously proving his point so, so well. https://t.co/tmAsjUkw9E
— Morten Stig Jensen (@msjnba) August 28, 2023
Noah lyles getting under the skin of NBA players is the best part of 2023
NBA champs are not world champions!!!!
Deal with it !!— Olafòtó (@iamolafoto) August 28, 2023
Noah Lyles ain lying though. The NBA is an American league, they only play against American franchise teams not world teams
— Mkai 𝐅𝐞𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐭𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐚™🇧🇧🇷🇺☀️🌴 (@DreNZXT) August 28, 2023
This week, American, Noah Lyles (@LylesNoah), became the fastest man in the world over 100 & 200 meters. The 1st since Usain Bolt.
En route he beat men from: 🇧🇼🇰🇪🇬🇧🇯🇵🇯🇲🇨🇿🇺🇬🇿🇦🇩🇴🇱🇷 & more.
It’s both ignorant & arrogant to refer to yourself as a world champion in a domestic sport. https://t.co/hGNmjAHdvR
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) August 27, 2023
No one outside of America thought his comments were weird, we all have thought the same, but all the Americans were bothered by it. Which is also telling and hilarious. https://t.co/mVZsO0u0f1
— Josh Eberley 🇨🇦 (@JoshEberley) August 28, 2023
