NBA star admits being ‘hater’ and hoping for Noah Lyles downfall at Paris Olympics

Kicks star Josh Hart was rooting for Noah Lyles to lose after his 'world champions' comment directed at NBA professionals.

NBA star admits being ‘hater’ and hoping for Noah Lyles downfall at Paris Olympics

New York Knicks star Josh Hart rooted against Noah Lyles at the Paris Olympics

The moment Team USA won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics, their own official social media page trolled American sprinter Noah Lyles for his ‘World Champions’ comments. The trolling didn’t stop there, as fans and media also joined in, targeting the 100m gold medalist. Lyles’ situation worsened when he only managed to secure bronze in the 200m finals. In fact, NBA star Josh Hart was happy with that result.

The New York Knicks star was speaking with his co-host and teammate Jalen Brunson on their podcast, The Roommates Show, on Thursday. When prompted to share his thoughts, Hart said:

For most of these Olympics, I was very patriotic. I wanted Team USA to win gold in almost every event. Damn I wanted him [Noah Lyles] to lose. I think this was the first time all of the NBA Twitter like banded together and was just hating.
Josh Hart said

Josh Hart was clearly joking about it, as no one in their right mind would genuinely root against a fellow countryman in an international competition. However, Noah Lyles‘ comments may have stirred up some resentment.

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After all, the NBA and its players take pride in being known as World Champions. The reasoning is that the world’s best talent competes in the NBA, with top international players joining the league. However, Lyles suggested that NBA champions should only be called World Champions if they had won an international competition.

Now that Team USA has won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics, Noah Lyles’ logic seems to be validated, as the team was composed of NBA superstars. Unfortunately for Lyles, he still gets the short end of the stick from the likes of Hart, especially after that bronze.

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Josh Hart shades teammate Jalen Brunson

Josh Hart is a passionate sports fan, particularly of the English Premier League, where he supports his favorite soccer club, Chelsea. Thus, he was taken aback when his close friend and teammate Jalen Brunson received a Manchester City jersey as a gift—especially one customized with Brunson’s NBA jersey number and name on the back.

In response to this, Hart replied with three puking emojis on his official X account. It goes to show that his friendship does not matter when it comes to a rival soccer club fan. Chelsea and Manchester City are direct rivals in the English Premier League, as they compete for the title. That itself makes City a rival in Hart’s eyes.

Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson will start preparations for the next NBA season soon. They and their Villanova Wildcats teammates will look to prove that the New York Knicks are serious NBA title contenders. Who knows if Hart wins, he might get a personalized jersey from Chelsea.

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