Nothing about this year’s edition of the Olympics in Paris was easy for Team USA, yet their reign lives on. LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and others proclaimed themselves winners of their 5th consecutive Gold on Saturday, at the Bercy Arena. Their arduous journey came to an end when Chef Curry literally cooked on the court, ending the game ever so beautifully with four straight 3-pointers to seal their victory. And for that, they deserve our everlasting respect.

The efforts by Team USA were strong, controlled, and collected, as everyone in the group came to Paris with massive, superior skills. And they’re not one to go quiet. They roar! They roar wildly. Probably how they are now able to silence all the “World Champions of what?” comments coming from Noah Lyles, who himself settled for a bronze in his 200m category in this year’s Olympics.

The Victor Wembanyama-led France settled for Silver, as it did in 1949, 2011, and 2022. However heartbreaking it was to see Batum bleeding and Wemby weeping in front of 27000+ fans in person, nobody can deny Team USA’s impressive run today. Now LeBron James and Co. have the right to call them World Champions, don’t they? The same word that created ripples in the NBA  last year.

When Lyles commented, “You know, the thing that hurts me the most is that I have to watch the NBA Finals and they have ‘world champion’ on they 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.” Kevin Durant was at the forefront of protesting against it.

Durant wrote, “Somebody help this brother,” to which numerous NBA pros voiced their support in disagreement with Noah Lyles’ jaw-dropping statement. Devin Booker, Aaron Gordon, and Damian Lillard were some of the many names from the hoop world to lambast the track and field athlete. And by the look of things in Paris, Kevin Durant and Co. have had the last laugh.

Team USA officially joins Kevin Durant in Noah Lyles mockery

Team USA did exactly what was expected of them on the hardwood. They lived up to the ‘favorites tag’ and even a packed Bercy Arena with a hostile local crowd couldn’t deter them from their ultimate goal. After the historic victory that earned Team USA its 5th straight gold medal, USA Basketball’s official X handle also joined the chat to return their share to Noah Lyles for his troubles. “Are we the World Champs now?”, read a post from the account with Team USA flaunting their gold medals.

Lyles himself was able to win Gold in the 100m sprint, which caused a hailstorm of rants from the track and field community. “Noah Lyles just murdered all of NBA Twitter,” read one of the headlining comments on the internet.

However, Lyles came third on the podium during his designated 200m event. After the race, he collapsed on the track and was helped back into a wheelchair and revealed he contracted COVID 2 days before the event. While the Paris Olympics are set to wrap up on Sunday, the debate over the 27-year-old’s comments could wage on until Team USA wins the FIBA World Championship in 2027.

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After all, basketball fans have a long memory! And so does Kevin Durant, who has his collection of receipts. Barely after winning the final, the Slim Reaper pulled out his phone and was quick to post, “ENTERTAINMENT & IQ.” This was in reference to Dennis Schroder’s comment from a few days ago, when he said, “European basketball is no entertainment, it’s straight IQ basketball. Straight coaching,” in favor of Serbia, Greece, France, and his own country.

In conclusion, no one can escape the crosshairs of the basketball community once they’ve triggered someone, don’t you think?

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.