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Noah Lyles defends his critique of the NBA's 'world champion' title, sparking discourse, but remains unapologetic about his stance.
American sprinter Noah Lyles recently sent shockwaves through the sporting community with comments on the NBA's audacious use of the term "world champion."
Following an exhilarating double win in the 100 and 200 meters at last month’s World Athletics Championships, Lyles boldly stepped into the limelight to address a pet peeve shared by many.
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11:00 - 01.09.2023
ATHLETICS Noah Lyles claps back at Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard over their response to his ‘world champion’ jibe
Lyles has finally responded to the backlash he received from NBA stars following the 'NBA world champions' jibe last week.
Lyles reflected on his achievements and candidly remarked, "You know what hurts me the most is that I have to watch the NBA Finals and they have 'world champion' on their head. World champion of what? The United States?"
Such remarks not only revealed Lyles's frustration with domestic leagues' broad generalizations but also put a spotlight on the U.S. sports ecosystem's sometimes insular perspectives.
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12:11 - 09.09.2023
‘They called me a madman’ - Noah Lyles has the last laugh as US basketball team lose to Germany at FIBA World Cup
The 100m and 200m world champion poked fun at Team USA's loss to Germany after being criticised by basketball stars for his 'NBA world champions' jibe
Unsurprisingly, the echo of his statement reverberated across social media, sparking a frenzy of debates, opinions, and, of course, memes.
NBA star Kevin Durant was quick to react with a playful jab, saying, "Somebody help this brother."
The debate reached its pinnacle when the U.S. men's basketball team faced an unexpected exit in the FIBA world championship, defeated by a formidable German team.
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08:00 - 09.09.2023
ATHLETICS Why Letsile Tebogo is unfazed going to the Prefontaine Classic despite facing tough opposition
The 20-year-old made history as Africa’s first man to win a medal in the 100m at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
This resulted in ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, a voice often heard defending the might of the NBA, admitting in a video, “He was right. I was wrong.”
Lyles, reflecting on the widespread reaction, observed with humor in an interview with Gq Sports on Saturday; “A lot of air balls [laughs]. It's just a situation where they finally decided to listen. I've been saying—the whole world, truly, has been saying that for years. It's just this time they paid attention, and had an opinion."
The snowballing reactions also saw unexpected participants like the renowned musician Drake, to which Lyles amusingly quipped.
“There are a bunch of funny things that come from it, like having Drake notice it. Like, Drake, what are you doing here? Go back home. This is an NBA conversation. But I couldn't go on TikTok for more than three seconds because it would just be like, me. And I'm like, Can I see something else? I don't want to see me. I go to Twitter to see other things,” he added.
“To be honest, I truly think the NBA is the best. That was never the doubt. But, there is a level of not understanding the two sides of sports. There's the national side and there's the world side, and you can't have the world championship title without facing the rest of the world,” he concluded.
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16:49 - 10.09.2023
FKFPL Kakamega Homeboyz and Kenya Police grid stalemates in friendlies against NSL teams
Kakamega Homeboyz and Kenya Police faced Mara Sugar and Migori Youth respectively in friendlies,.
Only time will tell if Lyles' comments will lead to a change in terminology, but one thing is clear: the world's fastest man has no intention of slowing down, either on the track or off it.
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