After hitting out on Noah Lyles for his comments on the NBA, Stephen A. Smith has surprisingly apologized for his remarks on the American track and field star. Just a day prior, Smith had scathingly criticized Lyles’ lackluster comment about the NBA finals on national television, joining in the likes of several NBA players and other famous personalities.
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After winning gold in track and field at the World Athletics 2023, Noah Lyles made comments about the NBA champions also being regarded as ‘World Champions.’ As per Lyles, since the competition was only within the United States, the terminology used technically did not fit the context of the NBA. Disagreeing with Lyles’ comments, Stephen A. Smith lambasted the 200m sprinting champion, explaining that the NBA champions were called ‘World Champions.’
Stephen A. Smith apologized to Noah Lyles just 24 hours after lambasting him on national television
It seems like Stephen A. Smith suddenly changed his mind overnight after his recent remarks about athlete Noah Lyles. The NBA community viewed Lyles’ comment about NBA champions in much bitter taste, with Stephen A. Smith blasting the track and field star on national television. Smith fired at the USA runner’s “Not a world championship” statement by calling him “flagrantly ignorant.” Furthermore, Smith explained how the best players worldwide vie for a place in an NBA team to play in the United States.
However, within a day of his remarks, Stephen A. Smith must have realized his comments came off as harsh and scathing. In today’s segment of First Take, Smith apologized to Lyles, emphasizing that he still tends to disagree to some degree.
“My opinion about what he said, I thought I was a bit harsh… we still disagree to some degree, but the bottom line is the word ‘ignorant’, that was just inaccurate on my part.”
It’s great to see Stephen A. Smith owning up to his comments and opinions, which sets him apart from other TV analysts. Smith is widely praised in his roles for his honest takes and unbiased views, which makes him a favorite TV personality across the United States and worldwide.
Gregg Popovich once had similar remarks as Noah Lyles about the NBA champions
It has been ten years since HOF coach Gregg Popovich commented on similar lines as Noah Lyles about the NBA champions. As per Coach Pop, the ‘World Champions’ moniker is the wrong terminology to be used in the context of the NBA. Since it’s an American competition, the winners of the league do not technically qualify as world champions.
In this regard, we can speculate that Coach Popovich might agree with these recent remarks made by Noah Lyles. However, Lyles’ comments have attracted a much harsher response, with even hip-hop star Drake jumping onto the bandwagon to ridicule the US sprinter’s take.
