Image Source: AFP
[Saba Sports News] The tension between sprinter Noah Lyles and the NBA is heating up. Comments Lyles made in a June interview with TIME Magazine resurfaced after the Paris Olympics, where he took a swipe at Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards. Lyles, unhappy about being invited to Edwards’ shoe-release event by Adidas, questioned why he wasn’t given a signature shoe as well.
“You want to invite me to an event for a man who hasn’t even been to an NBA Finals? In a sport you don’t care about? And you’re giving him a shoe?” Lyles said, adding that while Edwards is a great athlete, he felt he deserved similar recognition.
Lyles’ remarks quickly went viral, with NBA star Jalen Brunson even reacting in disbelief. At the time of the interview, Lyles was negotiating a contract extension with Adidas, which has since become the most lucrative track-and-field deal since Usain Bolt.
Lyles, who won gold in the men’s 100m at the Olympics, has had previous clashes with NBA athletes, notably criticizing the use of “world champions” for NBA Finals winners. Though Edwards is an emerging star at just 23, Lyles seems unfazed by his marketability, as the tension between him and the NBA continues to simmer.