Noah Lyles fierce spat with NBA superstars reignited by Devin Booker after 100m gold win at Olympics

Devin Booker, Team USA's star guard, has voiced his pride in Olympic track champion Noah Lyles' gold medal victory in the men's 100-meter final. However, he continues to challenge Lyles' previous comments about the NBA and its claim to be "world champions."

Booker, along with some members of Team USA's basketball team, were present at Stade de France to witness Lyles compete against Jamaica's Kishane Thompson and six other competitors for the gold medal. The race was one of the most thrilling finishes in Olympic history, with Lyles initially falling behind .

As the crowd reached the 30-meter mark, Lyles was still lagging, requiring a significant surge to get within medal contention. This surge came at a crucial moment, as data showed that the 27-year-old - who is dating another Olympian - did not take the lead until the very end of the race, winning by a mere 5,000ths of a second .

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Following his fellow American's victory, Booker praised Lyles, despite maintaining that the Phoenix Suns star disagrees with Lyles' "world champion" comments. "It was crazy," Booker commented during Team USA's practice at Marcel Cerdan Sports Complex, according to 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".

Devin Booker of the Suns understands where fellow athlete Lyles was coming from, even if he doesn't agree with the portrayal of Lyles' comments. "The statement was said," Booker observed.

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"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."

After clinching the 100-meter final at the World Championships in Budapest, Lyles aired his grievances. Frustrated, he addressed the press and expressed displeasure with NBA victors being dubbed "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 commented 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."

He elaborated by pointing out that actual "world championships" occur in global competitions like the one in Budapest, where participants hail from various nations. Following the spread of his remarks, NBA supporters took to social media to share their approval or dissent.

When Noah Lyles blazed past his competitors, he not only brought back American preeminence in sprinting after 20 years but also followed in Justin Gatlins footsteps by seizing the 100-meter crown. Nonetheless, in the aftermath of the thrilling competition, even Lyles himself wasnt sure he had won.

While waiting with Jamaican sprinter Kishane Thompson for the result, Lyles admitted he wasn't sure who had won. He shared his feelings with Thompson saying, "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,'" only to find out shortly after that he had actually clinched the win himself.