Devin Booker is convinced that winning an NBA title is more difficult than an Olympic gold medal

Team USA is currently preparing for an Olympic-quarterfinal match against Brazil on Tuesday, as it hopes to take home a gold medal in basketball. Just the other day, sprinter Noah Lyles just won the 100 meter Final in Paris, prompting a reaction from Suns star Devin Booker.

Last year, the American athlete criticized the fact that NBA teams call themselves “world champions” when they win the domestic title, because the competition is not global, despite having many of the best basketball players in the world.

His speech was highly controversial as videos of Lyles went viral on the internet as he wondered aloud: “What is the world champion? The united states?” Noah's reaction caused a lot of backlash from NBA players who openly expressed their distaste for his take on the world championship.

Devin Booker gave Noah Lyles his props for his incredible 100-meter dash win but still disagrees with his comments about the NBA. pic.twitter.com/Q0q8M6abFS

– Mirror US Sports (@MirrorUSSports) August 5, 2024

For example, Kevin Durant wrote, “Someone help this brother.” Others like Aaron Gordon posted, “Whatever… I'm smoking my friend in the 200m,” suggesting he could beat the athlete in the race.

That's why Booker, after attending the 100-meter Final at the 2024 Olympic Games and seeing Lyles get the gold medal, told the media that he continues to disagree with his American colleague's view of the NBA. “I still don't agree with the comments,” he told the newspaper New York Times.

“I feel that all the best talents in the world are in the NBA, and this is coming from an Olympic gold medalist (who believes) that being an NBA champion is almost impossible to do,” he tried his best to explain himself, but. he failed to understand that Lyles was just saying that the NBA is a domestic league.

Other USA players also took a break as they waited for the upcoming quarterfinals and went to the Stade de France stadium to support the American athlete. “It was crazy,” Devin said after watching Lyles defeat Jamaica's Kishane Thompson by milliseconds. “I mean it was great in America. I congratulate him.”

Given that Olympic games are governed by FIBA ​​and last 40 minutes each, LeBron James and Steph Curry share the team lead in minutes played at 21.6 per game. Booker comes in third with 21.1 minutes, having just started their international tour.

Team USA is ready to take on Brazil in the quarterfinals of the Olympics and show their opponent's toughness and offensive rebounding.

At the moment, the Americans continue 3-0 as the number 1 seed after beating Puerto Rico 104 to 83, and in theory, they face Brazil as an easy quarterfinal competition. “They're all very good, well-coached teams,” Steve Kerr said. “But Brazil is our focus.”

Team USA could face either Serbia or Australia in the semifinals if they advance to tonight's tournament, while the first time they face France, Canada or Germany will be in the finals.

However, the American coach is not underestimating their upcoming opponents despite their low level. “They have a big body. I think they are the number 1 team going back to the competition,” he said on Sunday. “They have a lot of really good shooters, and they play hard.”

“They compete play after play, so we're going to have to be ready for their physicality and their shooting, and we need to be sharp and ready for them because they're not going to back down,” Kerr added when talking about their game. a very effective formula, and a physical game.