"He thought I was going to fight him" - Noah Lyles recalls fan wanting to argue with him over NBA controversy

Noah Lyles revealed that a fan wanted to argue with him over his comments about NBA players following the 2023 World Championships. The American sprinter had taken a dig at the league, arguing that NBA champions weren't world champions.

Lyles was speaking at a press conference at the Budapest World Championships about raising awareness of track events when he took a shot at the league.

“You know the thing that hurts me the most is that I have to watch the NBA Finals and they have ‘world champion’ on they head. World champion of what? The United States? Don’t get me wrong, I love the US – at times – but that ain’t the world,” he said.

The 100m world champion received heavy backlash for his comments, and while he clarified that he didn't mean to disrespect them, the 27-year-old has maintained that the NBA doesn't represent every country to be deemed a World Championships.

During a recent episode of the Beyond The Records podcast, the 27-year-old recalled having a strange encounter with a fan. Lyles revealed that after being asked for a picture, the fan confronted him about the controversy.

"I remember when I made the NBA comment, and I went back to the US., and I met this guy. He's like, oh, you're Noah Lyles. I'm like, yeah, I am. He's like, oh my god, like, bro, can I get a picture with you? Yeah, yeah, yeah. And he's like about to leave, and he kind of pauses. And I could see that he wants to say something else, and he turns around, he's like, the NBA players are great athletes, too," Noah Lyles said

The Olympic champion further added that the fan wanted to argue with him.

"And you could tell he thought I was going to fight him on this. I could tell that he didn't understand what I said in the moment but he wanted to argue about this thing because he had a preconceived notion of who I was," he said

Lyles won the gold medal in the 100m finals and bronze in the 200m finals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, while the US basketball team beat France in the finals for the Olympic title.

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"They're Olympic champions and in the Olympics you face the whole world" - Noah Lyles on the U.S. basketball team

Noah Lyles at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix - Source: Getty

USA men's basketball team France 98-87 for the fifth straight Olympic title in Paris last year. Following their win, Noah Lyles was asked whether they were the world champions, and he replied:

"It's not a thing of if I consider or not, it's… they are. They're Olympic champions and in the Olympics you face the whole world," he said (via The Sun)

Lyles further added that he had confidence in the team's ability to win the gold, as they had 'some of the greatest players.' The 27-year-old raced for the first time since the Paris Olympics last week and has won both races so far.