Noah Lyles trolls NBA fans with 'Champion' tag in Anthony Edwards mea culpa

In the eternal “Word Champion” war between the track-and-field star and NBA fans, the polarizing Team USA gold medalist gives flowers with some thorns.

Aug 5, 2024: Noah Lyles celebrates with his gold medal at the victory ceremony for the men's 100m during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games. / Reuters-USA TODAY Sports

Noah Lyles is a marketing genius.

The brash, borderline “arrogant” according to 200-meter gold medalist Letsile Tebogo, track-and-field star posted a tweet clarifying the original controversy surrounding an old story that resurfaced of why he refused to attend the up-and-coming NBA superstar Anthony Edwards’ Adidas kicks unveiling party.

Lyles said at the time, "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? No disrespect; the man is an amazing athlete. He is having a heck of a year. I love that they saw the insight to give him a shoe, because they saw that he was going to be big. All I'm asking is, 'How could you not see that for me?'"

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Thus, Lyles addressed his previous comment.

There is a rumor going around that I did not go to @theantedwards_ 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…

— Noah Lyles, OLY (@LylesNoah) August 12, 2024

Oh dear. Did Lyles double-down, or at this point who knows how many times, triple, quadruple, down on the “world champion” vs. “Olympic champion” vs. “NBA champion” debate that made NBA fans (and some players) lose their collective minds? Lyles specifically wrote, "Congratulations on Becoming an Olympic Champion!"

The official USA Basketball account entered the fray over the weekend with their controversial tweet, “Are we the World Champs now?,” which set off another firestorm that has since had “Readers added context” provided with the tweet, usually designated for posts with misinformation. 

Are we the World Champs now?

🇺🇸 #USABMNT pic.twitter.com/t4M9NeBkU6

— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) August 10, 2024

Technically, Germany is the reigning FIBA World Champion.

Edwards, for his part, has been enjoying his Olympic champion status regardless, hilariously failing to spray a champagne bottle properly, and being handed a custom golden pair of Adidas AE1s after winning the Olympic gold medal with Team USA.

Aug 10, 2024: Stephen Curry and Anthony Edwards celebrate after defeating France in the men's basketball gold medal game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games. / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

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In the end, Lyles seems to love playing the WWE heel, and if it gets him attention and the deal that he wants from Adidas for a signature shoe, then it’s worth it.

Now if Edwards could only learn how to spray a champagne bottle, then everyone wins.

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