Noah Lyles Reveals Truth Why He's No Longer Playing Basketball

Despite Noah Lyles' constant disrespect of the NBA and its players, the U.S. sprinter actually used to play basketball. However, he's no longer into the sport, albeit for a rather interesting reason.

In a video he did for GQ, Lyles was asked if he played another sport growing up. The Olympic gold medalist admitted that he was "into basketball" when he was young, but he soon grew "tired" of it because of the team aspect of it.

"I was really like into basketball, but I'm tired of having to rely on others," Lyles explained as to why he stopped playing basketball.

"I wanna be able to rely on myself."

Sure enough, with that mentality, it's not a surprise why Noah Lyles opted to focus on just running instead of exploring his other options. Of course, there is still a team aspect in track and field, particularly in the relay events, but most competitions are individual races.

Lyles certainly made the right decision, though. After all, he won two medals during the 2024 Paris Olympics: a gold in the 100-meter race and a bronze in the 200-meter event.

The 27-year-old sprinter can now proudly call himself a "world champion," something that not all basketball players (or athletes in general) can say they have achieved.

Related: Noah Lyles Sends 'Wild' Response To COVID Accusations During Olympics