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Following His Temporary Silence, Noah Lyles Ends NBA Slant With a Bold Take: “The World Is Very Much on My Side”

Published 08/31/2023, 7:25 PM EDT

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Noah Lyles has established himself as a dominant force in track and field real. He never shied away from clinching accolades and framing them on his wall of fame. Along similar lines, the American sprinting prodigy took home three gold medals and stood victorious on the tracks of Budapest. He won both the 100-meter and 200-meter titles with his incredible finishes. However, along with the spotlight, he also garnered scrutiny for his statement about the NBA league.

Nevertheless, Lyles did not hold himself back for too long and responded to the scrutiny he has been receiving. Although he did respond to this dissension immediately, in a recent interview posted by Travis Miller on his Twitter handle, Lyles was seen confronting the controversy. With this, he added another spark to this debate during his recent Diamond League win. During the post-race interview, Lyles talked about the tussle with NBA players.

Noah Lyles goes candid about his NBA controversy

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Talking about the controversy, Lyles stated, “To be honest, I’m just glad that they were having the conversation; it’s been underlined for so long, but nobody wanted to talk about it. With everyone saying things about it, now you have a dialog. Of course there will be opinions that change, and maybe there won’t, but at least we are having the conversation.”

He further added, “It’s funny that if you look at my comments, you’ll see people in the US versus the world. Everybody in the world is very much on my side, and everybody in the US is leaning towards the opinion of the NBA.”

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He again emphasized the fact that he is happy that they are having the conversation. The controversy began when Lyles intrigued about the ‘World titles’ in the NBA. He called out NBA players for referring to themselves as the world champions despite the fact that the league only contains teams from the United States.

Scrutiny from NBA players

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Nike, which sponsors Lyles, posted a celebratory post on their Instagram to congratulate Lyles on his big achievement. But he was rather trolled than celebrated, and he was reprimanded by NBA stars like Kevin Durant.

Talking about Lyles’ comments, KD said that Lyles has lost his mind and needs help, while his Phoenix Suns counterpart Devin Booker also trolled Lyles. However, this trolling comments also received mixed reactions from the fans, some of whom are backing Noah Lyles while others are rallying behind NBA stars.

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In the realm of track and field, Noah Lyles has not only sprinted to gold but also ignited discussions far beyond the track. His candidness about the NBA controversy spurred a dialogue that was long overdue.

Watch This Story: Noah Lyles Eyeing on Shattering Another Record of Usain Bolt After Breaking the Sprinting Legend’s Record in Seven Years

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Written by:

Abhishek Rathore

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One take at a time

Abhishek Rathore is a US sports writer for EssentiallySports. He is a passionate sports enthusiast and comes with a staunch experience in content writing. So, he blended his love and passion and started writing about all things sports.
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Edited by:

Purva Jain