World Champion Noah Lyles had some controversial thoughts on the term ‘World Champion’ last year

The Olympics may be the sporting event to end them all, but one aspect we always seem to forget about this celebration of blood, sweat, and achievement is that it always plays host to a slew of interesting protagonists.

Whether it’s tried and true legends like Simone Biles, unprecedented meme jockeys like Stephen Nedoroscik, or limitless badasses like Yusuf Dikeç, the Olympics are packed to the brim with a swath of colorful characters.

But none boast quite as unique a reputation as track and field star Noah Lyles. Beyond a sprinting career that has seen 19 gold medals (the latest being that of the 100m sprint at the ongoing 2024 Paris Olympics), seven silvers, and a bronze, Lyles has built himself a thoroughly adorkable image thanks to his implementation of Dragon Ball Z poses and Yu Gi Oh! cards in his pre- and post-race celebrations.

He has, of course, also shown that he isn’t afraid to call out nonsense as he sees it, no matter how much ire he draws from his fellow Olympians, particularly those who play basketball.

Noah Lyles’ NBA comments, explained

During a post-event press conference for the 2023 World Championships in Budapest (at which Lyles nabbed a pair of gold medals for the 100m and 200m races), the sprinter cheekily bemoaned the “World Champion” hats that are given to the title winners of the National Basketball Association each year.

Lyles’ comments stem from the fact that NBA teams, though their players may come from all over the world, feature predominantly American rosters, and only represent North American cities, so when, say, the San Antonio Spurs wins the NBA Championships and take on the title of “World Champions,” it strikes Lyles as kind of a misnomer. As Noah Lyles points out, the U.S. doesn’t qualify as the whole world. By contrast, Lyles and his fellow Olympians quite literally face off as an American collective against the best athletes from other countries all over the world. Medal counts are tracked by country, and at the time of writing, the United States leads the medal count with 79 won so far, although the People’s Republic of China has the highest gold medal count at 22. It’s understandable, then, why the NBA “World Champion” label would read as insincere to him.

His comments drew their fair share of both criticism and support from those within the NBA, with the likes of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Damian Lillard voicing their disapproval, while Giannis Antetokounmpo and Josh Hart (the latter of whom is also from the United States) were among his most notable backers.

Hart in particular noted that Lyles has more than earned his right to talk the talk about the meaning of the phrase “World Champion,” seeing as the sprinter has walked the walk (or, more accurately, ran the run) as an Olympic gold medalist.

And Lyles isn’t done with his medal drive just yet. He’s due to compete in the Men’s 200m semi-finals on August 7 after topping his heat with a time of 20.19 seconds, after which he’ll go to on the finals on August 8, should he qualify.