Noah Lyles clarified his comment about the NBA and was lightly quizzed about basketball. After declaring he didn't know who Nikola Jokic was, his face lit up after hearing the names of Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
US track and field superstar Noah Lyles became well-known to basketball fans after his comment in 2023 about NBA champions calling themselves world champions. He has now explained his position in detail and was lightly quizzed about basketball.
Lyles appeared on the latest episode of the Nightcap podcast with NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe and former American football great Chad 'Ochocinco' Johnson. After talking about the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, the three talked in depth about the track athlete's (in)famous comment.
The 27-year-old athlete wanted the hosts to pay attention to the question that was asked at that press conference. Mainly, Lyles was answering a question of possibly feeling underappreciated in the US, seeing how other countries celebrate their winners at the sport.
"When [Letsile] Tebogo won his gold medal, he went back to a stadium filled with 30,000 people celebrating him. When I showed up back home on my flight, of course, some people recognized me, and I'm very thankful for that, but there was no 30,000 people, there was no driver ready to take me home," Lyles said. "There was no bus waiting. I had my mom, I had my pops, and they were ready to take me home, and I was ready to go to bed."
Lyles' viral comment:
The sprinter later further clarified his stance on his comment about the NBA, saying that world champions in their disciplines aren't celebrated nearly enough as the teams and their athletes of leagues in the US.
"The problem that I had was you are giving the title of a world champion to people who aren't facing the world. That's where I drew the line and said that's hurtful because you already have those, but you are giving the title to people who aren't doing that," Lyles explained. "Nothing wrong with being a national champion."
Sharpe then asked Lyles whether Nikola Jokic, the Serbian Denver Nuggets superstar center and three-time NBA MVP, is one of the best players in the world.
"I'll be honest, I don't know who that is," Lyles smiled.
His response changed when he heard Sharpe say the names of Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
"I've heard of him," Lyles said after hearing the host ask about Luka.
"Oh yeah," he then said when Giannis' name was mentioned. "What's the question? Are they good? They're great, they're great players."
Sharpe and Lyles went on to discuss how the appreciation of athletes differs in the US compared to other countries and why team sports are so much more celebrated nationally than winners like Lyles.
Latest episode of the Nightcap podcast w/ Noah Lyles:
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