Noah Lyles and the NBA, the return. The saga had in fact briefly animated the world of sport last summer.
As a reminder, the sprinter had challenged the NBA during the World Athletics Championships, regretting that the champions of the Major League proclaimed themselves “world champions”.
“What bothers me the most is watching the Finals and seeing [que les champions NBA] have 'world champion' written on their banner. But 'world champion' of what? Of the United States?Noah Lyles said. “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.”
The world champion in the 100m, 200m, and the 4x100m relay, did not fail to add another layer after a new failure of Team USA during the last World Cup. Steve Kerr's team finished in 4th place.
Devin Booker stands his ground
Since then, USA Basketball has reunited the “Avengers” for the Olympic Games. Some of them were even present at the Stade de France to watch their compatriot's 100-meter final. Devin Booker was among the spectators of Noah Lyles' very narrow victory.
“I still don't agree with his comment”, estimates the Suns player. “I feel like the best talent in the world is in the NBA, and that's coming from an Olympic gold medalist. I think being an NBA champion is probably the hardest thing to do.”
Last summer, Devin Booker, Bam Adebayo and Kevin Durant had expressed their disagreement with Noah Lyles' comments. Others like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Boris Diaw shared the sprinter's vision. But a good sport, the Suns guard still congratulated the Olympic 100-meter champion.
“This statement is what it”concludes Devin Booker. “I think the way it was said was just out of context. I feel like it was something that had been weighing on his heart for a long time. He's gained support since then. But he's held his ground. (for the final), so congratulations to him.”
Panathinaikos coach Ergin Ataman had challenged the Celtics to a Euroleague-winning matchup with the NBA winner. But it seems unlikely that Joe Mazzulla's team will make a stop in Athens in order to compete for a world championship title in preseason.
