Among American basketball players, some have a tenacious grudge… The proof is with Josh Hart who only dreamed of one thing in these Olympic Games: that Noah Lyles lose! A year ago, the American sprinter had tackled NBA players and their “self-centeredness”.
” What bothers me the most is watching the Finals and seeing [que les champions NBA] have 'world champion' written on their heads. But 'world champion' of what? Of the United States? “, the Olympic 100-meter champion had mocked. Don't get me wrong, I love the United States sometimes, but it's not the world as a whole. We [les Championnats du monde, ndlr] we are the world, here there is almost every country, fighting, giving their all, flying their flag. There are no flags in the NBA. »
A year later, Noah Lyles won the 100 meters in Paris. But suffering from Covid, the American sprinter only won bronze in the 200 meters. Josh Hart seems happy about that. But first, he explained that he was fully behind the United States during the Olympics.
The entire NBA community against Noah Lyles?
“I feel like for most of these Olympics I was very patriotic and wanted Team USA to win gold.”Hart explains to teammate Jalen Brunson in their common podcast. But the latter stops him immediately: ” You can't get away with this… It's impossible. If you have to continue your statement, what are you going to say?”.
And Hart admitted that he didn't want his compatriot Noah Lyles to impose himself. “I really wanted him to lose”he acknowledges, without naming Lyles. “I really wanted him to lose. I think that was the first time the entire NBA Twitter came together and started hating. I was hating and I was like, ‘Damn, you know what you gotta respect.’ I can’t even hate anymore.”
