"Still don't agree": Devin Booker gets real on Noah Lyles 'world champions' take, says winning NBA title is harder

Devin Booker was not in agreement with 2024 Paris Olympics gold medalist Noah Lyles' controversial 'World Champions' comment. Last year, the track and field athlete went viral for his comments after taking issue with the fact that NBA champions were called World Champions. While Booker was happy that Lyles clinched gold in the 100m category, he was vocal about the sprinter's take.

According to The Athletic's Sam Amick, the Phoenix Suns star minced no words while weighing in on Lyles' comments from last year.

“I still don’t agree with the comment. 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.”

Booker is an Olympic gold medalist himself, winning at the marque tournament in Tokyo. The guard was also in attendance to witness Lyles' greatness earlier. He was joined by the team’s managing director and former NBA player Grant Hill, assistant coach Tyronn Lue, Joel Embiid, and Jayson Tatum.

Lyles' comments had NBA stars including Suns star Kevin Durant and Denver Nuggets' Aaron Gordon reacting almost immediately last year, and by the looks of it, Devin Booker stands his ground with his views on the matter.

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"It was out of context": Devin Booker weighs in on Noah Lyles' controversial statement from last year

While Noah Lyles garnered immense criticism for his comments last year, Devin Booker believed that the former's words were taken out of context. In the same report by Amick, the 4x NBA All-Star further added that congratulations were for the electric win.

“The statement was 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.”

On the game front, Booker will gear up for the Brazil challenge on Tuesday in the 5x5 men's basketball as Team USA guns for gold for the fifth consecutive Olympics.

He has been a vital cog in Steve Kerr's rotations and has made an impact on defense as well. He already received flowers from the head coach for his two-way versatility and now it remains to be seen if Devin Booker can go home with another gold to his name.