Knicks’ Josh Hart gives his motivation for wanting Noah Lyles to fail at the Olympics: “Every NBA Twitter user united”.
A prominent storyline during the Olympic cycle in Paris involved the perhaps coincidental rivalry between American sprinter Noah Lyles and a few NBA players.
There has been and still is a noticeable strain between the parties, even if no NBA players have come out and said that they had a problem with Lyles at the Olympics. It was left to Knicks all-around player Josh Hart to state his position clearly by speaking the silent part aloud.
On the “Roommates” podcast alongside his New York — and college — teammate Jalen Brunson, Hart opened up on exactly how he felt about Lyles during the Olympics.
Here’s more on Hart’s desire to see Lyles come up short in Paris.
Josh Hart discusses why he thought Noah Lyles should fail at the Olympics.
“I feel like for most of these Olympics, I was very patriotic, I wanted Team USA to win gold in almost every event,” Hart said. Before Hart could say anything more, Brunson spoke out, first stepping in as a mediator and then demonstrating his extraordinary ability to incite conflict.
Brunson remarked, “You can save yourself and just let it slide.” “Just keep going, dude; there’s no justification. But what would you have said if you had continued with your statement?”
It was all Hart needed to answer that question.
“I really wanted him to lose. I really wanted him to lose, boy. I feel like this was the first time all of NBA Twitter, like, banded together and was just hating. I was just hating and then I’m just like, ‘Damn, you know what, respect.’ I can’t even hate anymore.”
Furthermore, the idea that NBA Twitter users are uniting aligns with the sentiments that a significant portion of the basketball community holds against Lyles.
Why is Noah Lyles disliked by NBA players?
Lyles appears to have made a special effort in August 2023 to voice his disapproval of NBA teams who declare themselves “world champions” following an NBA Finals victory.
As a sprinter, Lyles’ comments uplifted his own standing as a champion because of the nature of international track and field events.
Hart hinted that Lyles was considered an adversary of NBA fans on social media because of his alleged attempt to minimize the accomplishments of players in the league. The majority of NBA fans appear to take offense at Lyles’ claim and hold it against him, despite the fact that opinions on favorite players and teams vary widely.
Hart is fair, at least in part. The Knicks wing said Lyles “can talk for life” following his victory in the 100-meter final, referencing a social media message from an NBA supporter who was rooting for the sprinter.
