Magic Johnson shrugs off Noah Lyles' NBA cold shoulder to congratulate his Olympics championship win: "We're all on the yacht cheering!"

Magic Johnson was among the first from America to congratulate his fellow countryman Noah Lyles after he won the gold medal in the 100 meters. Lyles finished the race in 9.79 seconds and established himself as the fastest man in the world.

Amid the cold shoulder Lyles has received from his fellow countrymen in the NBA, Johnson was the first to step forward and give props to Lyles. Congratulating Lyles with a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Johnson said that the entire country was cheering for Lyles:

"We’re all on the yacht cheering for Noah Lyles after winning the Men’s 100M race and remaining the fastest man in the world! It’s the first time in 20 years that the US brings home the gold in the Men’s 100! Wow - what an exciting race!!"

Lyles has previously been in the news for his comments on NBA champions. He received a lot of flak for seemingly undermining the NBA champions' status as world champions.

It was one of the closest races in recent memory. Both Lyles and Kishane Thompson from Jamaica finished the race in 9.79 seconds. However, Lyles left Thompson behind by five-thousandths of a second to win the race. Lyles’ fellow American sprinter Fred Kerley won the bronze medal. He finished the race in 9.81 seconds.

Lyles had previously expressed that he wanted to break Jamaican legend Usain Bolt’s world record in a 100-meter race. Bolt holds the world record with 9.58 seconds.

What did Noah Lyles say that enraged the NBA world

After winning the gold medal at the World Championship last year, Lyles made a controversial comment about the NBA. It was not well received. The Olympic gold medal holder said that the NBA champions should not call themselves world champions because they are not competing on the global stage.

"I have to watch the NBA Finals, and they have world champion on their head. World champion of what?" Lyles had said. "The United States? Don’t get me wrong. I love the U.S. at times, but that ain’t the world. That is not the world.

He also added that while the other athletes bring their country’s flag at the world championships and Olympics, the NBA doesn’t have a flag.

"We are the world. We have almost every country out here fighting, thriving, putting on their flag to show they are represented. There ain’t no flags in the NBA. We gotta do more. We gotta be presented to the world."

Reacting to Lyles' comments, Kevin Durant said that someone had to "help" track and field athletes. Although Lyles also received support from other players in the NBA, most didn't appreciate his comments.

With an Olympic gold medal in his bag, Lyles has more credibility to speak his mind, and he doesn't shy away from that.