The U.S. men’s basketball team won gold at the Paris Olympics, then made a strong statement to fellow gold medalist Noah Lyles.
Team USA finished a perfect run at the Olympics with a 98-87 win over host country France in the gold medal game on August 10. The win brought the fifth gold medal in a row for the American men, who survived a scare in the semifinal after trailing Serbia by 17 points before making a furious comeback.
After clinching the gold medal on Saturday, the USA Basketball program took to social media with a message that appeared aimed directly at Lyles.
“Are we the World Champs now?” the program posted on X along with a picture of the players posing with their gold medals.
The message responded to a now-viral quip from Lyles that questioned whether the NBA champions are really the world’s best team.
Are we the World Champs now?
🇺🇸 #USABMNT
Noah Lyles Sparked Feud With ‘World Champions of What?’ Quip
The post was a callback to remarks from the U.S. sprinter last year where he wondered aloud why the NBA champion team declared themselves the “world” champions.
“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 U.S. – at times – but that ain’t the world,” Lyles told reporters.
“We are the world. We have almost every country out here fighting, thriving, putting on their flag to show they are represented. There ain’t no flags in the NBA.”
The remarks drew some pushback, with many recalling it as Lyles qualified for the Paris Olympics. Team USA star Devin Booker said he disagreed with Lyles’ assessment of the NBA champions.
“I still don’t agree with the comment,” Booker told Sam Amick of The Athletic. “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.”
Noah Lyles and Team USA Both Take Gold
While his past shot at Team USA drew some controversy, Lyles delivered on the track during the Paris Olympics. He won the 100-meter dash in an epic finish, leaning forward at the finish line to beat Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson by 0.005 of a second.
Lyles said afterward that even he was surprised he finished first.
“We were waiting for the names to pop up, and I’m going to be honest, I came over [to Thompson] and I was like: ‘I think you got that one, big dawg!'” Lyles told reporters after the race, via ESPN. “Something said I need to lean, and I was like, ‘I’m going to lean,’ because it’s that type of race.”
Lyles’ attempt to add another gold medal in the 200-meter dash took a hit when he tested positive for COVID, but he was still able to race and took home bronze. Afterward, the sprinter said he was proud of his accomplishment.
“To be honest, I’m more proud of myself than anything – coming out and getting a bronze medal with COVID,” he said, via USA Today.
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USA Basketball Trolls Sprinter Noah Lyles After Winning Gold at Paris Olympics