Noah Lyles considers the criticism he got for calling the NBA “world champions.”

Noah Lyles was the reigning world champion following his three gold medal victories at the previous year’s global championships.

Following that, he made the claim that NBA players didn’t deserve the title of world champions because they had won the Finals.

“They have the world champion on their head, and I have to watch the NBA Finals.” What is the world champion? Says Lyles at the time. “The US? Do not misunderstand me. While I occasionally adore the United States, that is not the world. That’s not how the world works.


“The world is us. Almost every nation is present here, battling, prospering, and flying its flag to demonstrate its representation. The NBA does not have any flags. We must take further action.