Noah Lyles clarified what he said in an interview with Time Magazine regarding fellow Olympic gold medalist Anthony Edwards.
The Paris Olympics 100-meter run champ took to X to deny that he said the Minnesota Timberwolves superstar does not deserve to have signature shoes.
Lyles believed that basketball fans, in general, misinterpreted what he told Adidas officials last year, as relayed to Time’s Sean Gregory.
“There is a rumor going around that I did not go to [Anthony Edwards’] shoe release because he didn’t deserve it. That is not the case. He definitely deserves his shoes. He is an amazing player. The problem was finding time based on my prior engagements. Congratulations on Becoming an Olympic champion!” Noah Lyles tweeted.
What led to Noah Lyles’ ‘apology’?
Lyles declined an invitation to attend the launch of Anthony Edwards’ AE1 shoes, as he felt he should be given a signature apparel too.
“You want to invite me to [an event for] a man who has not even been to an NBA Finals? In a sport that you don’t even care about? And you’re giving him a shoe? No disrespect: the man is an amazing athlete. He is having a heck of a year. I love that they saw the insight to give him a shoe because they saw that he was going to be big. All I’m asking is, ‘How could you not see that for me?’” Lyles told Gregory what he said to the Adidas officials.
Fans quickly assumed that Lyles was hating on Edwards, to the point that NBA Centel, a popular satire account, tweeted that Adidas let go of Lyles as a brand ambassador.
Fans thought NBA Centel’s tweet was legit as Adidas’ X handle was also tagged, but keen observers quickly deduced that the tagging was just a distraction, although they nearly fell for it.
Noah Lyles vows to become sprinting’s new face
Meanwhile, Noah Lyles also told Sean Gregory that he wants to become the face of track racing, at least in the United States, something that Jamaican runner Usain Bolt failed to achieve during his prime during the late 2000s and early 2010s.
“That’s my plan,” Lyles further said. “I have the personality, I have the speed, I have the showmanship. I have the marketing mindset. I’m willing to be uncomfortable.”
The Time Magazine interview was conducted last May during Lyles’ Olympic buildup and was released on the publication’s website on June 27.
Lyles ruled the men’s 100-meter run, but he settled for the bronze in his pet, the 200-meter run, after braving through a coronavirus disease 2019 scare.
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