Paris
CNN
—

Noah Lyles is a charismatic, enthusiastic athlete who isn’t afraid to speak his mind in an effort to raise the profile of athletics in the sports world, but last year that put him up against some of the highest-profile basketball players in the NBA.

Lyles won the 100-meter and 200-meter races at last year’s world championships (he’s trying to repeat the feat at the Olympics on Thursday night after winning the 100-meter race on Sunday) and wasn’t shy about comparing his accomplishments to those of his pro basketball counterparts in the United States.

Speaking to reporters at the World Championships in Budapest, Lyles was asked what he wanted to achieve in athletics and what he would like to see to raise the profile of the sport.

Lyles said his medal wins were the first step toward raising public awareness of the track sport and that he wanted to see more former world champions compete in high-profile events. He then decided to try his hand at the NBA.

“You know what hurts the most is I have to watch the NBA Finals and they have ‘world champions’ at the beginning? World champions of what? The United States of America? Don’t get me wrong, I love the United States — sometimes — but it’s not the world,” Lyles said.

“We are the world. Almost every country here is struggling, developing, and hanging their flags to show that they are represented. There are no flags in the NBA.”

Lyles’ comment speaks to something that sports fans around the world often make fun of about U.S. sports culture. In nearly every major American sport, the league champion is referred to as the world champion, even though those teams only play against other teams based in the U.S. or Canada.

But the unique sports culture of the United States means that the four major American sports—football, basketball, baseball, and hockey—are far superior to domestic leagues in other countries. Many of the best players in these sports from around the world end up playing for American teams, hence the claim to the title of world champion: for example, the last six NBA MVP awards have gone to foreign-born players.

Lyles’ comments were not well received by the American NBA players he criticized.

Two-time NBA champion and 2014 MVP Kevin Durant, who has been named Finals MVP twice in his career, has been a pioneer in this field.

“Someone help this brother,” he wrote on Instagram in response to ESPN’s post.

Four-time NBA champion Draymond Green also got involved, posting the phrase “When smarts go wrong” on Instagram, along with a face covering emoji. Devin Booker, who plays for Team USA and the Phoenix Suns in these Olympics, simply posted a face covering emoji.

So if Lyles wins the 100-200-meter dual, don’t expect many American NBA players to celebrate publicly.