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Devin Booker was one of the many notable names in the stand to watch Noah Lyles win gold in the thrilling 100m final that unfolded at the Olympics on Sunday, and while he was impressed by the win, he’s still not giving the sprinter a pass for his comments on NBA teams who dub themselves “world champions.”
There was more than just a medal on the line when American track and field star Noah Lyles headed to the Stade de France to face off against the seven other men who punched their ticket to the 100m final.
The winner of the race has traditionally earned the right to the claim of The Fastest Man on the Planet, and Lyles also had some major incentive to beat Oblique Seville based on what he had to say after coming up short against his Jamaican rival at the Racers Grand Prix in Kingston in June.
The outspoken American was bested by Seville in the semifinal heat that ensured they’d both be competing for the gold in Paris, but Lyles ultimately got the last laugh when he edged out fellow Jamaican sprinter Kishane Thompson by five-thousands of a second to win gold in one of the tighest races you’ll ever see (Seville ultimately finished in last place).
The victory was also a big one for Lyles when you consider a number of members of Team USA’s men’s basketball team headed to the stadium to watch it unfold in person close to a year after he called out NBA teams and players who refer to themselves as “world champions” after securing the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
That delegation of NBA players included Devin Booker, who made his feelings on that comment pretty clear when he hit Lyles with the facepalm emoji (Damian Lillard and Kevin Durant shared similar sentiments after it went viral last August).
It doesn’t appear the water is entirely under the bridge based on what Booker had to say while speaking with The Athletic in the wake of Lyles’ victory, as he acknowledged the “crazy” win was “great for America” before doubling down on his criticism of the sprinter’s Hot Take, saying:
“I still don’t agree with the comment.
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.”
As the outlet notes, Booker previously won a gold medal while playing for the United States in Tokyo and came up short in the NBA Finals as a member of the Suns team that lost to the Bucks in 2021, so it’s safe to say he speaks from a place of authority when it comes to chiming in on that particular debate.