The Noah Lyles slamming, ripping, and dissecting continues. But interestingly, this time, it has taken quite the unusual route. And we have the Olympic legend, Carmelo Anthony, to thank for. Of course, Melo did have a few words for the popular sprinter, especially on his Anthony Edwards dig. However, the New York native also reminded Lyles of all the good things that could have been if he wasn’t so bent on “burning the bridges”.

In the latest episode of 7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony & The Kid Mero, the Knicks legend also pointed out how his fellow track and field athlete, Sha’Carri Richardson, was present and cheering Team USA in their finals against France.

“You bringing unnecessary attention to your track and field team. Sha’Carri livin’. She good. We were courtside at the game. You could have been right there with us! You upstairs now, you could have been right here, man. This is the type of sh*t we trying to bring. Trying to spread love. When Steph hit the three, you could have ran up and back real quick,” Anthony said, as the whole group roared in laughter.

It’s been over a year since Lyles directed a well-aimed dig at the NBA champions, for dubbing themselves as world champions after winning the NBA Finals. While his points were technically correct, the way it was delivered was rude, to put it mildly. Since then, the 6x World Champion has been at the receiving end of heavy ridicule. But perhaps what really got him at the top of the blacklist was his no-nonsense dig at ANT.

Both athletes are signed to the German apparel and footwear brand, Adidas. However, when they invited Lyles for his shoe release, the first-time Olympic gold medalist took offense that they would give a man who has not even been to an NBA Finals his own signature shoe. The 27-year-old couldn’t fathom why they wouldn’t extend the same courtesy to him.

Needless to say, his comments wreaked major havoc.

Noah Lyles dug his own grave with his brash comments
Carmelo Anthony had just one warning for Noah Lyles. “Don’t burn those bridges, champ. Because once you burn those bridges, it’s hard to get over that.” A superstar in his own rights, Melo understood Lyles’ feelings on the matter. But there was a fine line between indignance and offense. And in Lyles’ case, it was the latter.

Noah is the next big thing in track and field now. His backstory of an asthmatic little boy, bullied, and yet, overcoming all the odds to become a rising superstar, certainly tugged at a lot of heartstrings. Noah Lyles became a household name. So, for him to come out and direct offensive comments to his fellow US athletes wasn’t a good look on him.

Take, for instance, Sha’Carri. Even though she supported Lyles’s ‘world champion’ remarks, she was sitting courtside for Team USA vs France. And she was just as loud as the rest of the fans, cheering the men, and jubilant at their victory. In fact, she was sitting next to Melo. After the win, SCR met the winners, hugging and congratulating them.

You could disagree with someone, or even support a controversial statement. But as long as you can maintain professionalism, it’s all good. The moment you take it to the next level is when it negatively impacts you. And with Noah Lyles, let’s just say that he might have gone ahead and beyond what’s deemed professional.

What do you think? Do you think Noah Lyles has a point? Or do you agree with Carmelo Anthony in his take that Lyles should have been at Bercy, cheering his fellow US athletes? Let us know in the comments.

 Before you go, do not forget to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Asia Avinger.