The frosty relationship between NBA players and Olympic gold medalist Noah Lyles continues.
On the “Roommates” podcast alongside his college and pro teammate Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart admitted that he is a patriot to the core but couldn’t bring himself to root for a guy that tried to demean the NBA championship trophy and NBA players.
“I feel like for most of these Olympics, I was very patriotic, I wanted Team USA to win gold in almost every event,” Hart began. Before Hart could continue, Brunson interjected, initially playing the role of peacemaker before displaying elite instigation skills.
“You can save yourself and just let it slide,” Brunson said. “Just keep it pushing, bro, there’s no reason … But if you were going to continue your statement, what would you have said?”
As Brunson egged him on, Hart’s blood started racing like it was fourth quarter down two.
“I really wanted him to lose,” the gritty New York Knicks guard said. “I really wanted him to lose, boy. I feel like this was the first time all of NBA Twitter, like, banded together and was just hating. I was just hating and then I’m just like, ‘Damn, you know what, respect.’ I can’t even hate anymore.”
Hart didn’t use Lyles’ name directly but the clip shown by the podcast features photos of Lyles as Hart goes in on him.
Hart respects Lyles for winning the gold in the 100 meters in Paris via photo finish and claiming the fastest man in the world title. However, there is a legion of NBA players from Anthony Edwards to Kevin Durant who probably wanted Lyles to fall on his face.
Sports Civil War: NBA vs. Track Star Noah Lyles
In August 2023, Lyles directly targeted the NBA last year by saying that the winner of the NBA Finals was not deserving of the title “world champions.” There was another round of ire for Lyles earlier this month as well after a swipe that he took at Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards went viral.
While expressing his frustration about being unable to secure his own shoe deal despite having Olympic and world success, Lyles pointed out that Edwards has not even been to an NBA Finals.
Then he didn’t show up at the party for Antman’s shoe release and rumors swirled that he didn’t show up because he thought Edwards didn’t deserve it.
“You want to do what?” Lyles said at the time. “You want to invite me to [an event for] a man who has not even been to an NBA Finals? In a sport that you don’t even care about? And you’re giving him a shoe?
“No disrespect, the man is an amazing athlete. He is having a heck of a year. I love that they saw the insight to give him a shoe, because they saw that he was going to be big. All I’m asking is, ‘How could you not see that for me?’”
That stirred the pot more, and by the time the Olympics were in full swing, Lyles had some NBA guys from his own country praying for his downfall.
Hart was one of them.
NBA champions Kevin Durant and Aaron Gordon also had a mouthful in retaliation. As did now-two-time Olympic gold medalist Devin Booker.
Lyles’ perceived attempt to degrade the achievements of NBA players made him an enemy of NBA fans on social media, as Hart mentioned. That probably will never change. He’s not backing down either.
Are NBA Players Being Babies about Noah Lyles Comments?
There are some fans who don’t take the ire of NBA players over Lyles’ comments seriously. They believe it’s childish and just entitled NBA players whining.
One social media user, Jim, said:
“So the NBA players really want to lower themselves to the same level? James, the ‘Chosen One’, KD that can’t stand any criticism without responding to everyone on every forum, Joel who wants to blast the French after they embraced him early in his career. The list could go on and on how the basketball players have boosted their ‘greatness’!. Look in the mirror before you sound off. Lyles competes against the World’s best almost every meet he is in, the NBA has more than its shares of the Detroit Pistons (level of teams). Basketball is a more popular sport, but Lyles’ competition is more intense and one minor mistake could result in him losing.”
Somewhere along the line, Lyles’ comments about NBA players not being world champions because they only compete internationally for a few games every four years on the Olympic stage and maybe a few FIBA tournaments here and there, has turned into a battle of which sport has the best athletes.
Egos get involved and then we have players in the Olympics rooting for their home country’s elite athletes to fail. Seems kind of silly, but so were Lyles’ comments. He definitely didn’t read the room or simply think that he should support his fellow American athletes. He wanted smoke when there were no matches or gasoline to light a fire.
Maybe one day Noah Lyles and the NBA will get together and quash this once and for all.
