Devin Booker is proud of Olympic track star Noah Lyles for winning the gold medal in the men's 100-meter final . However, the Team USA star guard still disagrees with Lyles' previous comments regarding the NBA and being the "world champions."
Booker and certain members of Team USA's basketball team were at Stade de France to see Lyles take on Jamaica's Kishane Thompson for the gold medal , along with six other competitors, in one of the most incredible finishes in Olympic history . Out of the blocks, Lyles started slowly, slipping to the back of the pack.
By the time the crowd reached the 30-meter mark, Lyles was still toward the back, needing a massive surge to come within medal range. And that surge came when it mattered most as data confirmed the 27-year-old did not have the lead at any point until the very end of the race, which saw Lyles winning by 5,000ths of a second .
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After seeing his fellow countryman win the race, Booker made sure to give Lyles his flowers, though the Phoenix Suns star still believes the running star is incorrect in his "world champion" comments. "It was crazy," Booker said during Team USA's practice at Marcel Cerdan Sports Complex, per The Athletic .
"I mean, it was great for America. Congrats to him. ... I still don't agree with the comment. I feel like all the best talent in the world is in the NBA, and this is coming from an Olympic gold medalist (who believes) that being an NBA champion is probably harder to do."
And while Booker disagrees with Lyles' comments and how it was portrayed, the Suns guard understands where Lyles was coming from when he made those comments as Booker himself is an Olympic gold medalist, helping the United States win gold in basketball at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. "The statement was said," Booker continued.
"I think how it was said - you know, it was just out of context. I feel like it was something that was weighing on his heart for a long time. He's gained a following since then. He held it down, though, so congrats to him."
The divisive comments Booker is referring to were said shortly after Lyles won the 100-meter final at the World Championships in Budapest. Speaking to reporters, Lyles shared he had an issue with NBA champions being referred to as "world champions."
"You know the thing that hurts me the most is that I have to watch the NBA Finals and they have 'World Champion' on they head," he said at the time . "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."
Lyles continued to say that the World Championships in Budapest are the true "world championships" as his competitors are each representing their own country. Once NBA fans heard Lyles' comments, they immediately shared their opinions on the matter, with some agreeing with Lyles and others pushing back.
That said, when it was time for Lyles to show his abilities, he did so with bravado, becoming the first American to win the 100-meter final in 20 years, joining Justin Gatlin as the only two men to do so. Still, there was a point after the race when not even Lyles was confident in his win.
As he and Thompson awaited the result of the race, Lyles admitted to the Jamaican star that he didn't know he won. "Me and Kishane were at the end waiting for our names to come up and I came back and I said, 'I'll be honest, man, I think you got that one,'" Lyles said, before finding out he won the race.
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