Why Many Americans Don’t Like Noah Lyles

American track star Noah Lyles caused controversy in a press conference in 2023 by claiming that NBA stars do not deserve to be called world champions due to the fact that only American teams play in the league, and those comments are what has led to many Americans disliking the athlete.

In a press conference last year, the 27-year-old said: “You know the thing that hurts me the most? I have to watch the NBA Finals, and they have ‘world champion’ on their heads. World champion of what? The United States? Don’t get me wrong. I love the US at times, but that ain’t the world. That is not the world – we are the world. We have almost every country out here fighting, thriving and putting on a flag to show that they are represented. There ain’t no flags in the NBA. We got to do more. We got to be presented to the world. I love the track community, but we can only do so much within our own bubble. There’s a whole world out there.”

Reaction to Noah Lyles’ World Champions Comment

Lyle’s comments, unsurprisingly, did not go down well with many within the NBA. A backlash was led by Kevin Durant, with the two-time MVP responding to his claims by posting on his X account: “Somebody help this brother out.” Draymond Green, a four-time world champion of the sport, also responded by saying on Instagram: “When smart goes wrong.”

NBA journalist Stephen A Smith, meanwhile, said: “The NBA currently features 120 players from 40 countries and six continents on its roster for last season, and it’s increased now. So how is that not global? How is that not the world champions? The best players from around the world descend upon America to join the National Basketball Association. The international players, rather than electing to stay in their respective countries … to play basketball, they want to come to the NBA because it’s the best basketball league on the planet.”

Lyle’s comments did receive some support, however. Fellow sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson said: “I’m standing with Noah on this one. The organisation [NBA] 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.”

Men’s 100m final

Position
Athlete
Country

Time

1.
Noah Lyles
USA
9.79

2.
Kishane Thompson
JAM
9.79

3.
Fred Kerley
USA
9.81

4.
Akani Simbine
RSA
9.82

5.
Lamont Jacobs
ITA
9.85

6.
Letsile Tebogo
BOT
9.86

7.
Kenneth Bednarek
USA
9.88

8.
Oblique Seville
JAM
9.91

People from outside sport have also applauded the comments, with television personality Piers Morgan saying via X: “The cojones of this guy calling out NBA stars for pretending to be world champions – when they’re not! – then beating the world to be Olympic 100m champion – are gigantic. Congrats @LylesNoah you talked the talked and just walked the walk.”

Noah Lyles’ Controversial History

This isn’t the first time that comments from Lyles have caused controversy. At the World Championships last year, he took aim at his own sport by criticising previous champions, including Usain Bolt, who retired in 2017: “As I look around this World Championships, I don’t see Bolt, I don’t see Asafa (Powell). I don’t see Yohan (Blake) and he’s still running. Where are all these great champions? We look at them, as we’re walking through the tunnel, at all of these previous world champions. Why are they not here?”