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    Noah Lyles' Dismissive Comment About Nikola Jokic Sparks Further Backlash

    By Matt Audilet,

    7 hours ago

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2Z5CWn_0v3iPsW300

    American Olympic sprinter Noah Lyles continues to ruffle feathers around the country's most popular sports leagues.

    In the same week he claimed to forget Tyreek Hill's name, Lyles unleashed a dismissive response to a question about NBA superstar Nikola Jokic.

    Lyles famously criticized the NBA for referring to its league winner as the "world champion" during a press conference in 2023. Since then, he hasn't backed down on his stance one bit.

    Lyles discussed that topic during a recent appearance on the Nightcap podcast with Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson.

    “Is Nikola Jokic one of the best players in the world?” Sharpe asked.

    “I’m gonna be honest, I don’t know who that is," Lyles replied.

    These comments fueled even more NBA backlash coming Lyles' way.

    "Ok so this guy should legit never speak on basketball topics ever again," one fan wrote.

    "This is the first time he is hearing the NBA isn’t made up of only American players," another said.

    "Alright it’s about time to wrap this stuff up. He was disrespecting a league that he doesn’t even know anything about. Just yapping," another added.

    "Okay, NOW he's being ridiculous," another wrote.

    "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 in 2023. "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."

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1gzLt8_0v3iPsW300

    © Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

    Jokic is a three-time NBA MVP and one-time NBA champion. More recently, he led Serbia to a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The superstar Serbian big man is a perfect example of the elite international talent featured in the NBA.

    Related: Noah Lyles Fires Back at Tyreek Hill with Brutal Jab

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