Advertisement - scroll for more content
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement - scroll for more content
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Furthermore, it's likely that Real Madrid wouldn't be able to renew Lyles' contract even with a substantial offer. The player's main objective is to return to the NBA , where he already played 650 games over 10 seasons with the Jazz, Nuggets, Spurs, Pistons, and Kings . He recently changed representation agencies, specifically seeking a new chapter in the American league.
However, the former New York Knicks superstar would say that he understands that the “semantics” could be argued since the leagues are based in one country, but he doesn't like how Lyles keeps “shooting at the NBA.” “The reason why we call ourselves world champions over here is because this is our game, The world comes to us to get the game, so yes, we are the world champs, to everybody,” Anthony said. “Now I do understand from that side, semantics I understand. But my thing is, why do you keep shooting at the NBA? Don’t keep shooting at the NBA. If you want to shoot, shoot at the fact that y’all ain’t got no league for your own. Shoot at that, shoot at why they aren’t pouring money into that sport, which they should be. Michael Johnson is doing it, you don’t want to support Michael Johnson because of what?”
On the other hand, Anthony would say it's not fair to compare the Olympics to different leagues in the country like basketball and likely football. “You want to be the world champion and you want to be the Olympic gold medalist fine, we support you 1000% but don’t be comparing none of that other s—t to what we have going on over here because it’s incomparable,” Anthony said.
Playmaker: Josh Hart on Noah Lyles: “I really wanted him to lose… you know what, respect. I can’t even hate no more.” Sponsored by @FanaticsBook Full episode: http://tapthe.link/RoommatesEp21
Noah Lyles: There is a rumor going around that I did not go to @Anthony Edwards shoe release because he didn’t deserve it. That is not the case he definitely deserves his shoes he is an amazing player. The problem was finding time based on my prior engagements. Congratulations on Becoming an Olympic champion!
Advertisement
When Noah Lyles was negotiating an Adidas contract extension last year, the company, he says, threw him what it thought was a bone. Adidas invited him to the shoe-release event for Anthony Edwards, the rising Minnesota Timberwolves star who’s got plenty of talent but, unlike Lyles, isn’t a six-time world champ. “You want to do what?” says Lyles. “You want to invite me to [an event for] a man who has not even been to an NBA Finals? In a sport that you don’t even care about? And you’re giving him a shoe? No disrespect: the man is an amazing athlete. He is having a heck of a year. I love that they saw the insight to give him a shoe, because they saw that he was going to be big. All I’m asking is, ‘How could you not see that for me?’” (Adidas declined to comment; in February, Lyles signed a new deal with the company, reportedly the most lucrative track-and-field contract in the post-Bolt era.)
Mike Smith: Cheering against Team USA? You mean, like all of those Americans who were making fun of Noah Lyles not winning gold in his latest race? Good ol' double standards. Kevin Durant: To all you Nuggets fans, nobody gives a fuck who yall lames believe is the best player in the league, players got major respect for Jok, we don’t worship him like yall do but most are in awe of his brilliance. Trolling you cornballs for rooting against us is apart of the game. Deal wit it
As Devin Booker acknowledged, though, there was a fascinating NBA backdrop to the event that was impossible to ignore. Last summer, after Noah Lyles won the 100-meter final at the World Championships in Budapest and sat at the podium for his post-race news conference, he took issue with the fact that NBA champions are often referred to as “world champions.” The comment went viral, with American players such as Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard and, yes, Booker (who tweeted a face-palm emoji) sharing their disagreement on social media. Others, among them Greece native and Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, agreed with Lyles’ idea that, with all 30 NBA teams based in North America, the team that wins it all should be considered a league champion. With that context in mind, how did Booker find the experience? “I still don’t agree with the comment,” Booker told The Athletic. “I feel like all the best talent in the world is in the NBA, and this is coming from an Olympic gold medalist (who believes) that being an NBA champion is probably harder to do.”
A day after Noah Lyles’ photo-finish win in the men’s 100-meter final, the city was still buzzing about the thrilling way in which the audacious 27-year-old American won Olympic gold. That included Team USA men’s basketball practice at Marcel Cerdan Sports Complex, where most players and coaches had to live vicariously through those who were there because they did not attend in person. But one of the players who did attend, and who enjoyed seeing Lyles back up all that braggadocio in a race won by a remarkable five one-thousandths of a second over Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson, was Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker. “It was crazy,” Booker said. “I mean, it was great for America. Congrats to him.”
Even still, Booker said, his support for a countryman outweighed any residue that might have remained from Lyles’ comment. “The statement was said,” Booker said. “I think how it was said — you know, it was just out of context. I feel like it was something that was weighing on his heart for a long time. He’s gained a following since then. He held it down, though, so congrats to him.” Booker wasn’t the only Team USA men’s basketball participant who witnessed the incredible event in person. He was joined by the team’s managing director and former NBA player Grant Hill, assistant coach Tyronn Lue and teammates Joel Embiid and Jayson Tatum. “That was dope,” Tatum said of the evening at Stade de France. “That was my first ever track and field event.”
Advertisement
Josh Lewenberg: Canada holds off a late run from Puerto Rico & wins its final tune-up, 103-93. Another gem for FIBA Dillon Brooks, who had 21 pts. Lyles & NAW each had 15, SGA & Barrett with 14 apiece. They'll close exhibition 2-1 & tip off the Olympic tournament vs Giannis/Greece on Saturday.
Paul George on Noah Lyles' comments: I think he's right, technically. The NBA has players from all over the world. The game is becoming more international with the talent that's coming into the league. From his perspective as a USA athlete, he's right about being a world champion when competing on that scale and winning the gold medal. But, if you're in the NBA, which is the best of the best in basketball with players from various countries, then you're a world champion. I don't think there's a wrong answer either way.
The post-meet trash talk, right? Now you've got NBA players taking shots. Noah Lyles: 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.
Noah Lyles: 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. 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.