Sneaker News Noah Lyles is now a household name, and it’s not entirely for being the world’s fastest man. Things are abuzz once again for Lyles off the track; he made headlines when he competed in the 200m final while battling COVID-19, reigniting the conversation around the respiratory illness and whether or not it should be taken lightly in competition, let alone in day-to-day life. He’s also back in the news for what was apparently another slight towards the stardom surrounding basketball athletes.
To backtrack: In 2023, Lyles caught the attention of hoops fans with his infamous “World Champion…of what?” statements, essentially calling out how the NBA Finals winners don’t deserve to call themselves “World Champions” given the Finals doesn’t include competition from around the globe. While technically correct, his logic was not well received, drawing considerable ridicule from the NBA’s top stars. Team USA winning Olympic Gold at the Paris Games on August 10th thrust Lyles back into the headlines for those comments, with the official USA Basketball social media addressing the quotes directly.
Lyles and his comments on NBA players are, once again, the source of controversy. According to a Time Magazine interview with the star sprinter back in June 2024, adidas invited Noah Lyles to the launch event for Anthony Edwards’ signature shoe that was held in September 2023 in Atlanta. Lyles responded to the invite, saying:
“You want to do what?” says Lyles. “You want to invite me to [an event for] a man who has not even been to an NBA Finals? In a sport that you don’t even care about? And you’re giving him a shoe?”
It is not uncommon for athletes to attend events for fellow brand-mates in a show of support. But Noah clearly felt slighted for not receiving the same spoils as basketball players do, despite being the best in his field. After the Paris Olympics came to a close, Lyles responded on the morning of August 12th in an attempt to do some damage control, stating that he was unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts:
There is a rumor going around that I did not go to [Anthony Edwards’] shoe release because he didn’t deserve it. That is not the case he definitely deserves his shoes he is an amazing player. The problem was finding time based on my prior engagements. Congratulations on Becoming an Olympic champion!
However, his statements to Time magazine contradict his explanation; he stated to Time that he felt adidas was “throwing him a bone” and that he should receive the same treatment as Edwards, an athlete he acknowledges as a rising star while pointing out his lack of significant accomplishments. Some view his congratulatory message as a bit passive-aggressive.
adidas just hosted Anthony Edwards at a special event in Paris, properly congratulating his Olympic Gold Medal with a special pair of his signature shoes.
