Knicks' Evan Fournier Sides With Noah Lyles: NBA Champions is 'Just a Title'
Noah Lyles has a friend ... or, in this case, an ami ... in New York Knicks shooting guard Evan Fournier.
Lyles, an American track and field star, is the current bane of the basketball world after downplaying the relative significance of NBA championship in a commentary of American professional sports victors referring to themselves as "world champions" after earning a league title.
"You know the thing that hurts me the most is that I have to watch the NBA Finals and they have 'world champion' on their head," Lyles, fresh off three gold medals and the World Track and Field Championships in Budapest this week, said. (h/t The Guardian). "World champion of what? The United States?"
"Don’t get me wrong. I love the U.S., at times, but that ain’t the world. That is not the world. We are the world. We have almost every country out here fighting, thriving, putting on their flag to show that they are represented. There ain't no flags in the NBA."
Lyles' comments, perhaps ironically, come as American stars and more are competing at the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Asia, which will close its preliminary pool slate on Wednesday.
A contingent of NBA players have gone to verbal war against Lyles, including All-Stars Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, and Damian Lillard. That group and more have responded to Lyles with mockery, but Fournier thinks he might have a point.
Following France's 85-79 win over Lebanon in Jakarta on Tuesday, Fournier was asked about Lyles' comments by ESPN. After jokingly chiding the unidentified report for "trying to get a headline," Fournier concurred with the runner's theory.
"I think it's the point of view of a lot of Americans that when they win at home, since it's the best championship in the world, you're the world champ," Fournier said. "I can understand that point of view but I agree that it should be NBA champ, personally."
"If you participate in the World or the Olympics and you win, you have a right to call yourself (a) world champion ... The way I look at it is NBA champions, for sure, they're the best team, but it's just a title. It's not that big of a deal. It's just a title. But for (Lyles) to say that, I understand where he's coming from because he's an athlete and he just won world titles."
Wendell Cruz, USA TODAY SPORTS
Alas for Fournier, his chances at either a domestic or world championship have been at a premium lately: he was forced to watch the Knicks' second-round elimination at the hands of the Miami Heat from the bench after his exile from the metropolitan rotation, leading him to believe that there was "no way" he'd be back in a New York uniform come the 2023-24 season.
Fournier's French were widely expected to make a run at the World Cup but respectively blowout and upset defeats at the hands of Canada and Latvia swiftly eliminated Les Bleus after consecutive third-place finishes at the last two tournaments. France's early exit was hardly the fault of Fournier, who is currently seventh amongst all competitors with 21.7 points per game.
France will now partake in a two-game consolation slate, the first half coming on Thursday against Iran.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
