After a TIME feature on American sprinter Noah Lyles hinted at frustration between Lyles and his apparel sponsor, Adidas, over an invitation to Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards's shoe release event, Lyles has released a statement in an attempt to calm the social media storm.
"This is a rumor going around that I did not go to [Anthony Edwards]'s shoe release because he didn't deserve it," Lyles said on X. "That is not the case. He definitely deserves his shoes. He is an amazing player. The problem was finding time based on my prior engagement. Congrats on becoming an Olympic champion!"
There is a rumor going around that I did not go to @theantedwards_ 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.
— Noah Lyles, OLY (@LylesNoah) August 12, 2024
Congratulations on Becoming an…
Lyles was quoted in the TIME story hinting at frustration with the apparel brand over giving Edwards a shoe deal before they gave him one. The tension between Lyles and Adidas came in the heat of a contract extension negotiation.
"You want to do what?" Lyles said. "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?'"
Time will tell whether or not Lyles will be taken at face value for his statement of rebuttal to the feature written about him in Time.
Lyles just concluded a Paris Olympic Games which saw him capture the title of "Fastest Man Alive" with a gold medal in the men's 100m sprint. Lyles also captured bronze in the 200m final, which he ran while being ill with COVID-19.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Noah Lyles Addresses Drama Over Anthony Edwards Shoe Release Event With Adidas.
