New information about the relationship between Noah Lyles and NBA stars has been surfacing the internet ever since Team USA earned the gold medal in the Paris Olympics this summer, and as expected, it is sparking controversy. Apparently, earlier this year the U.S. sprinter rejected an invitation to participate in an event for a basketball athlete.
To give a little context, the gold medalist first drew attention from the NBA world in August of 2023 when he questioned players that called themselves “world champions” after winning the Larry O’Brien Trophy. He believes that this is unfair considering that the league is made up of teams from the United States, plus the Toronto Raptors.
“You know the thing that hurts me the most is that I have to watch the NBA Finals and they have ‘world champion’ on their head,” Lyles expressed last year. “World champion of what? The United States? Don’t get me wrong, I love the U.S., at times, but that ain’t the world.”
Noah Lyles wanted his respect after being invited to an Anthony Edwards event
(via Time) pic.twitter.com/zbP0NdvA8p
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Just recently, information arouse suggesting that Noah took a shot at Minnesota star Anthony Edwards when Adidas invited him to a shoe-release event earlier this year. “You want to do what?” Lyles reportedly said. “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?” he added.
The U.S. men’s national squad recently defeated the French hosts 98-87 mostly thanks to Stephen Curry, who put on a show from beyond the arc. The Warriors icon ended the gold-medal contest with 24 points and 5 assists on 8-of-13 shooting from range, with four-clutch triples in the last three minutes.
The American sprinter also earned himself some accolades during the Olympic Games this summer, as he took home the gold in a tight 100-meter race, as well as bronze in the 200m run. Even though he competed in the 200m competition, he was seen struggling after the race because he was later diagnosed with COVID-19.