Noah Lyles Seems to Be Taking a Victory Lap on Social Media After Team USA’s World Cup Loss

The U.S. track and field star appeared to not-so-subtly reference the hot take that drew responses from some of the NBA’s top stars.

On the heels of a recent rift with NBA players on social media, U.S. track and field star Noah Lyles appeared eager to get in the last word on Friday following Team USA’s elimination at the FIBA World Cup.

Lyles, the world’s No. 1 ranked 200m runner, drew the ire of Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard and other NBA stars in August after questioning why NBA champions referred to themselves as “world champions.” On Friday, Team USA fell to Germany, 113–111, in a stunning World Cup semifinal loss, prompting Lyles to not-so-subtly reference his hotly-debated opinion on X (formerly Twitter). 

Shortly after the game, two memes poking fun at Team USA’s defeat could be found among Lyles’s likes, as of Friday night. 

The first depicted Lyles as Marvel villain Thanos with the words, “They called me a madman,” while the other showed Shannon Sharpe pointing at something to get someone’s attention.

While it appears Lyles may let his likes speak for themselves, the 26-year-old doesn’t appear bashful about welcoming the smoke he ignited after suggesting the “world champion” title is inaccurate because the NBA only plays in the U.S. and Canada.

“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?” said Lyles on Aug. 25 after his 200-meter victory at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest.

With many Team USA and NBA fans still in disbelief over Friday’s outcome, it’ll be interesting to see what players, if any, respond to Lyles this go around after last month’s fireworks.