Inside The Nuggets

Olympian Noah Lyles Facing Backlash Over Controversial Nikola Jokic Statement

American sprinter Noah Lyles had a viral statement on Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic
Joey Linn|
Aug 4, 2024; Paris Saint-Denis, France; Noah Lyles (USA) reacts after competing in a men's 100m semifinal during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade de France.
Aug 4, 2024; Paris Saint-Denis, France; Noah Lyles (USA) reacts after competing in a men's 100m semifinal during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade de France. | Yukihito Taguchi-USA TODAY Sports

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Denver Nuggets

American sprinter Noah Lyles went viral last summer with his comments about using "World Champions" to describe the winner of the NBA Finals.

"You know what hurts me the most is that I have to watch the NBA Finals and they have ‘World Champion’ on their head," Lyles said last summer. "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."

Competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Lyles was back in the spotlight. As Lyles took home a gold medal in the 100-meter and a bronze medal in the 200-meter, The U.S. Men's Basketball Team went undefeated en route to a gold medal.

This reignited the "World Champion" debate, which always includes an emphasis on the level of international talent in the NBA. This includes arguably the league's best player, Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic.

When asked on the Night Cap show if Jokic is one of the best players in the world, Lyles said, "I’m gonna be honest, I don’t know who that is."

Lyles has been facing backlash from fans over these comments, with many arguing if he is not familiar with Jokic, who just led Serbia to a bronze medal after winning NBA MVP, then he clearly does not understand the level of international talent the league has.

This has been the most common argument, with NBA fans saying there is no reason to listen to Lyles if he does not know arguably the league's best player.

With Jokic being Serbian and arguably the NBA's best player, basketball fans feel Lyles' lack of knowledge about the Nuggets star invalidates his argument.

There are hundreds of comments like these in response to Lyles' statement on Jokic.

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Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA and WNBA for On SI. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined On SI to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts and in the classroom earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time, primarily serving as a Clippers beat writer.

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