"I have no animosity toward the NBA" - Noah Lyles clears his stance about 'World Champion' controversy that led to massive backlash

Noah Lyles recently addressed the controversy surrounding his comments on the term "world champion," stating he holds no ill against the NBA. Following his three gold medals at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Lyles criticized the NBA's approach of referring to its title holders as world champions.

During the press conference following his heroics, he criticized the NBA, arguing that since the league is primarily based in the U.S. and doesn't involve global competition, the term "world champion" is misleading. Following this incident, Lyles received a huge backlash from the NBA community.

However in a recent interview with Guardian.com, the American sprinter reflected on his past comments, acknowledging basketball as his first love. He further stated that the comments were meant to highlight the NBA's skillful marketing strategy, which has become widely accepted even though this term isn't technically accurate.

"I have no animosity toward the NBA," Lyles said. "Basketball was my first love. I’m not wishing for the downfall of anybody. The reason I brought that up was to show that the NBA does a good job with its marketing strategy. They’re not actual world champions, but they’ve ingrained the idea so deeply that you can’t tell anybody anything else.”

"They wouldn’t have let me run at all" - Noah Lyles weighs in on the difference of COVID-19 protocols at the 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Olympics

Noah Lyles of Team United States on the podium during the Men's 200m medal ceremony at the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris, France. (Image Source: Getty)

Noah Lyles tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of his 200m final during the Paris Games. However, unfazed by the challenging situation, he still competed against a star-studded lineup, securing a bronze medal after finishing behind Letsile Tebogo.

Lyles recently reflected on the difference in the COVID-19 protocols, drawing the contrasting standards set to deal with the situation, stating if he tested positive during the 2020 Games, he would have been denied from competing.

"They wouldn’t have let me run at all, I would’ve instantly got quarantined and stuck in the village for days. There were people like Sam Kendricks who weren’t allowed to compete (in Tokyo) – and his was like a week before his competition. We were getting tested every day back then, Lyles said (via indianexpress.com)

Apart from his bronze medal victory, the American sprinter clinched his first Olympic gold medal in the 100m at the French capital after a edging out Jamaica's Kishane Thompson.