What is the connection between Olympics gold medalist Noah Lyles & tennis great Stan Smith? All you need to know

Three-time Olympic medalist Noah Lyles recently met two-time Grand Slam winner Stan Smith at the 2024 US Open. The duo made an appearance at Flushing Meadows for the women's singles final, where Aryna Sabalenka dashed USA's hopes to lift her third Grand Slam title, defeating Jessica Pegula.

There is a lesser-known connection between Smith and Lyles that many fans don't know about, which is through their shoe sponsor, Adidas. Lyles has been signed with Adidas since 2016, while Smith has been associated with the German shoemaker since 1973. Smith's custom shoes were launched by Adidas in 1978, and have a picture and signature of the American on its tongue.

Lyles took to X to share a picture with Smith and expressed his delight at meeting him. He said he was excited to finally meet the 'man on all his shoes', seemingly alluding to his Adidas STAN SMITH collection.

"Finally found the man on all my shoes. The great Stan Smith," Lyles wrote.

The 1971 US Open champion recalled the early days of his partnership with Adidas in an interview with Hypebeast in November 2022.

“I wanted to be involved with adidas, and adidas wanted to be involved with me. Donald [Bell] had the foresight to make the partnership a unique one, and put my picture on the tongue of the shoe,” Smith said.

Smith said he was proud that the original shoes were still the best-selling, adding:

“I’m proudest of the fact that the original white and green model is still the best-selling one, and that the shoe is still loved by so many people today. They’re something that can bring people together in a polarized world.”

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Stan Smith's life gets immortalized in a documentary

Smith at the 2024 US Open (Image: Getty)

Stan Smith, a two-time Grand Slam champion in singles and five-time champion in doubles, was an icon during the 70s. However, he got worldwide fame due to his custom shoes with Adidas.

The documentary 'Who Is Stan Smith?’ executive-produced by LeBron James, aims to shed light on his life as a tennis player. John McEnroe also made an appearance in the film.

"There's a bit of a mystery with my name, whether there's really a person behind it," Smith told USTA.com.

Smith has won 64 singles titles and 54 doubles titles during his career.