Noah Lyles bagged the gold medal in the 2024 Olympics after winning the 100M and the NBA world had some interesting reactions. Before his impressive victory in Paris, Lyles made some remarks about the NBA.

The 27-year-old runner dissed the league for claiming to be world champions when they mainly compete in the USA. His remarks didn’t sit well with a huge portion of the basketball world, which led them to call him out for not finding any success either. However, with Lyles’ recent victory, he has proven to be a legitimate critic.

Joel Embiid spotted leaving after Noah Lyles’ win

While the majority of the Americans in attendance were celebrating Lyles’ gold medal win, one particular citizen wasn’t happy about it. NBA star Joel Embiid was spotted walking out of the arena immediately after Lyles’ triumphance.

While it was Embiid’s back that was seen in the footage, there’s no mistaking it was him given his prominent features. As mentioned earlier, Lyles made negative remarks regarding NBA players claiming to be world champions. Seeing him take home the gold likely left a sour taste in Embiid’s mouth.

Given the circumstances, Team USA, particularly the men’s basketball team, now has a bit of pressure. Their entire lineup consists of NBA players. With that in mind, they now need to prove that they are still worthy of calling themselves world champions. If they end up losing this year, they’ll surely never hear the end of Lyles’ remarks.

Reactions from other NBA players and legends

Despite the controversy Lyles brought upon the NBA world, some still showed appreciation to the 27-year-old. Two notable names who had some nice things to say were Magic Johnson and Dwyane Wade.

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,” Johnson said. “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!

As for Wade, he simply acknowledged Lyles with a celebratory expression.

Then there were other reactions from Josh Hart and Evan Turner. Hart’s reaction was particularly notable due to the fact that he immediately ate his words after Lyles’ win. He let the world know on X (formerly known as Twitter) that he’s a hater of Lyles. Hart then had no choice but to respect his victory.

With all that in mind, Lyles has now backed up his being loud-mouthed to the NBA world. The question now is, can Team USA prove their number one doubter wrong?