Noah Lyles has been facing a lot of heat from the NBA lately. In a recent press conference, Lyles claimed that the NBA has no right to call themselves world champions since they do not face off against the best teams or athletes from around the world. He further indicated that games such as athletics have the proper representation of the best athletes from the world and that there are no flags of any other countries in the NBA. These comments did not go down well with basketball stars, who later called out Lyles on social media.

However, amidst the trolling from NBA players, several athletes have also come to defend and support Noah Lyles. Sha’Carri Richardson and Emmanuel Acho have tweeted in support of Lyles on the platform X and more recently a former NFL quarterback has also come forward with a long video on X that supports the claims made by Noah Lyles.

Robert Griffin III defends Noah Lyles

After his recent comments against the NBA, Noah Lyles was subject to a lot of trolling online. Multiple Olympic gold medalist called out Lyles for his statement. More so, NBA champion Kevin Durant even said, “Somebody help this brother,” while referring to Lyles’ comments.

Other prominent NBA stars, including Devin Booker and Draymond Green, also expressed their disagreement with the track star’s press conference. Even globally recognized musician Drake also hopped on the bandwagon and wrote, “He thought this speech was gonna be so hard in the mirror the night before… now the whole league doesn’t rate u.” 

Trending

Fresh Controversy Brews After Sha’Carri Richardson and Team USA ‘Outfit’ Fallout As Athlete Robbed of Paris Olympics Dream Over Sponsorship

May 01, 2024 04:27 PM EDT

‘I Was Already Salty’- Serena Williams Pokes Husband Alexis Ohanian Over His $180 Million Master-Stroke for Their Daughter Olympia

May 03, 2024 08:01 PM EDT

Martin Truex Jr’s Crew Chief Makes Heartbreaking 4-Word Racing Admission

May 04, 2024 04:11 PM EDT

Billionaire Michael Jordan’s Drink With Derek Jeter Was Enough for Yankees Legend to Invest in $11.69 Billion Worth Industry

May 03, 2024 01:00 PM EDT

“Coward”: Deion Sanders’ Innocence Shines as Dylan Edwards and Father’s Behavior Exposed in Fiery Feud With Colorado Buffs

May 04, 2024 04:10 AM EDT

Get instantly notified of the hottest Olympics stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

However, many athletes have also sprung to Noah Lyles’ support, and former Washington Redskins’ quarterback Robert Griffin III has recently posted a three-minute long video on X as he defends Lyles’ press conference comments.

The former quarterback’s tweet caption read, “Drake and the NBA Stars don’t respect him, but Noah Lyles is RIGHT. The NBA is the best basketball league in the World but that doesn’t make the NBA Champs the WORLD CHAMPIONS.”

Griffin III also highlighted that despite the NBA employing more than 100 players from around 40 countries, still does not give it the right to call its winners world champions. He also highlighted that Noah Lyles competed against 75 men from 57 different countries just in this year’s 100m event in Budapest.

Lyles also competed and won gold in the men’s 200m and 4x100m relay. Griffin III also emphasized that it is painful to see Lyles getting headlines for his NBA controversy and not for his athletic achievements as the quarterback also took a subtle dig at the media. The former Baltimore Ravens quarterback’s tweet comes after Sha’Carri Richardson and NFL linebacker, Emmanuel Acho, have already publicly defended Lyles.

Sha’Carri Richardson and Emmanuel Acho’s tweet of support

Amidst the growing controversy, Lyles’ compatriot Sha’Carri Richardson has also supported the track star on X. Her tweet read, “I’m standing with Noah on this one !! @LylesNoah the organization have players from different countries but do they compete against different countries.

You have to go against the world in order to be a world champion!!” Just like Lyles, Richardson also won big at the recent world championships in Budapest. After Richardson, former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Emmanuel Acho also highlighted the fact that Lyles had to beat a number of athletes from his own country, Jamaica, Japan, Great Britain, and a lot of others before he was crowned the world champion. 

“Controversy Sells”: Noah Lyles under ‘Clout Shade’ after Dropping the Perfect NBA Publicity Stunt

He also took a shot at the NBA through his tweet, which read, “It’s both ignorant & arrogant to refer to yourself as a world champion in a domestic sport.” As this controversy continues to grow, it remains to be seen if Noah Lyles can stay unfazed by all the distractions. Similarly, his fans would be hoping that Lyles will end up focusing all his energy on the upcoming Zurich Diamond League and, ultimately, next year’s 2024 Paris Olympics.

Watch this story: Witness the Genesis of the Legend of Noah Lyles: The Finish You Know, the Start You Don’t