Noah Lyles has once again sparked controversy in the NBA world, with comments he made before the Olympics resurfacing and gaining traction online.
During a conversation with TIME’s Sean Gregory in June, Lyles took a jab at Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards. Lyles has made it clear that he wants a signature sneaker with his apparel sponsor, Adidas, and was offended when the brand invited him to an event promoting Anthony Edwards’ new shoe.
“’You want to do what?’ Lyles questioned. ‘You want to invite me to an event for a guy who hasn’t even reached the NBA Finals? In a sport that you don’t even care about? And you’re giving him a shoe? No disrespect—he’s an incredible athlete, having an outstanding year. I appreciate that Adidas recognized his potential. But I can’t help but wonder, how did they miss that with me?'”
Among those to react was Knicks star Jalen Brunson, who joked that when he saw the quote, he thought it was coming from the infamous fake Twitter account “NBA Centel”, rather than the real page “NBA Central”.
Damn I thought this was Centel https://t.co/jgTuPK0JIH
— Jalen Brunson (@jalenbrunson1) August 11, 2024
This isn’t the first time Lyles has rubbed the NBA community the wrong way. Last August, he stirred controversy by challenging the notion that NBA champions should be labelled “world champions,” given that the league primarily consists of teams from the United States, with the Toronto Raptors being the only exception.
“You know the thing that hurts me the most is that I have to watch the NBA Finals and they have ‘world champion’ on their head,” Lyles said last year. “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.”
His remarks prompted significant backlash from NBA players across the league.
Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Damian Lillard were among the star players to clap back at Lyles.
For all his talk, the track star backed it up in Paris this year when he won gold in the men’s 100m sprint. Lyles also won bronze in the 200m despite battling Covid.