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Reigning Olympic champion Noah Lyles has again caught the attention of NBA fans following the conclusion of his 2024 Paris Olympics campaign. Recently, a statement of his from an interview with Time.com, conducted before the Olympics, was shared online. This has led to many fans criticizing his words.
Lyles, who had been aiming for a historic sprint treble in Paris, was unable to replicate his success from the 2023 World Athletics Championships after testing positive for COVID-19.
Lyles has earlier made headlines during a post-match press conference at last year’s World Championships by challenging the NBA's tradition of addressing its champions as "World Champions." His remark, "World Champions of what? The United States?", quickly gained attention and he faced backlash from basketball players and fans, who criticized his statement.
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Recently, a statement of his from an interview with Time.com, conducted before the Olympics, was shared online. He indicated feeling disrespected during his contract negotiations with Adidas, as during the negotiations, the German corporation invited him to a shoe-release event for Anthony Edwards.
Edwards had never reached an NBA Finals, and Lyles felt he should have been accorded a similar recognition, being a six-time world champion. As a result, Lyles commented:
“You want to do what? You want to invite me to [an event for] a man who has not even been to an NBA Finals?”
Following this, fans quickly on X (formerly Twitter) shared their reactions to Lyles' comments. One fan expressed his disapproval of the athlete’s statement, saying:
“Tearing down others trying to get what you want is always a terrible look. Yikes”
Another fan said that Lyles was "jealous" of NBA players:
“Bro has always rubbed me the wrong way. He seems jealous of NBA players like he wishes he was the one getting that level of attention and bread. Hater energy to me. Could have gone about this a different way,” the fan said.
Another fan said Lyles "should be...more likable":
“The fastest man in the world who is into anime and trading cards should be 1000x more likeable but he’s always saying stupid shit like this 😭😭😭”, the fan said.
Here are a few more fan reactions to Lyles’ statement about Anthony Edwards:
“Noah Lyles needs to be humbled he’s so annoying”, one fan wrote.
“this is a level of unlikablity no man should ever aspire to reach”, another fan chimed in.
“Anthony Edwards is more iconic than Noah will ever be btw”, one fan added.
Noah Lyles reportedly signs track and field's richest contract since Usain Bolt’s retirement
Some time after his response to Adidas' invitation for Anthony Edwards' shoe launch, Noah Lyles signed what is reported to be the richest track and field contract since Usain Bolt's retirement. This includes both on and off-the-track commitments, including wearing Adidas gear on track.
It is worth noting that the details of the contract are not revealed by Adidas and Lyles. Athletes typically sign non-disclosure agreements with sponsoring organizations. Notably, Lyles has been the ambassador of Adidas since 2016.
