New York Knicks star Josh Hart confessed on the Roommates Show with teammate Jalen Brunson that he was rooting against American sprinter Noah Lyles in the Paris Summer Olympics.
Brunson and Hart were talking about their Olympic loyalties. Although Hart was cheering for Team USA in most events, there was one athlete who didn’t earn his backing.
“I feel like for most of these Olympics I was very patriotic, I wanted Team USA to win gold…most every event,” said Hart.
Josh Hart rooting for Noah Lyles to lose
Brunson first asked Hart to drop the subject but then shifted gears, encouraging him to continue. He prompted Hart with a question about what he would have said if he had kept going, leading Hart to openly express his true feelings.
“I really wanted him [Lyles] to lose,” Hart continued.
“Damn, I wanted him to lose boy. I think this was the first time all of the NBA Twitter like banded together and was just hating. I was hating, and I'm just like, damn you know what respect I can't even hate anymore.”
Lyles infamous comments
Lyles has become the face of track and field. His gold medal win in the 100m solidifies his status as the fastest man in the world, making him the first American to earn this title since Justin Gatlin's 2004 Olympic victory in Athens.
The 27-year old Lyles sparked controversy among NBA players and fans on social media last year when he criticized the practice of labeling the NBA Finals winner as the “world champion.”
“You know what hurts me the most is that I have to watch the NBA Finals and they have ‘world champion’ on their head. 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,” said the now Olympic gold medalist.
During the track and field world championships in Budapest, Hungary, Lyles secured his third consecutive world title in the 200 meters, along with golds in the 100 meters and 4×100 relay. Following these victories, he was questioned about the state of track and field as a sport.
“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. We gotta do more. We gotta be presented to the world,” said Lyles.
Noah Lyles acknowledging Team USA as world champions
Despite Lyles' remarks being made a year prior, they remained fresh in fans' memories. A number of people including Josh Hart were rooting for him to lose the 100m race in the Olympics just to mock him. Following Lyles bronze medal win in the 200m and his subsequent wheelchair exit due to COVID-19, many took the chance to taunt him.
Although it was difficult for him to acknowledge, Lyles conceded that Team USA deserved the title of world champions after their victory over France in the gold medal game.
Lyles addressed whether Team USA could claim the world champion title by stating,”It's not a thing of if I consider or not. They're Olympic champions and in the Olympic champions you face the whole world.”
With the Olympics concluded and the 2024-25 NBA season approaching, it seems this long-running feud may be coming to an end, as both sides have demonstrated their status as world champions.
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