NBA Legend Magic Johnson Makes His Opinion Of U.S. Sprinter Noah Lyles Crystal Clear

While Noah Lyles has been a strong critic of the NBA calling its title winners "world champions," it didn't stop Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson from heaping praise on the sprinter following his latest win at the 2024 Olympics.

Lyles bagged the gold medal in the men's 100-meter race, becoming the first American since Justin Gatlin at the 2004 Athens Olympics to win it. It wasn't an easy win, though, as Lyles edged Jamaica's Kishane Thompson by just a fraction.

The 27-year-old sprint star clocked a time of 9.784 seconds to complete the race, while Thompson finished with 9.789 seconds.

Johnson, for his part, saw the race and couldn't be prouder of what Lyles accomplished. The NBA great also noted how exciting the race was, especially after it ended in a photo finish.

"We’re all on the yacht cheering for Noah Lyles after winning the Men’s 100M race and remaining the fastest man in the world! It’s the first time in 20 years that the US brings home the gold in the Men’s 100! Wow - what an exciting race!!" Johnson wrote.

Noah Lyles has incessantly claimed that he's the "fastest man in the world," but there were concerns about that title after he finished second in the semifinal of the same race--losing to Jamaican sprinter Oblique Seville by 0.02 seconds.

The track star, fortunately, quickly erased all those doubts and brought excitement to the whole nation with his close win.

As Magic Johnson suggested, it's definitely one of the best races that fans could wish for.

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