Move over Noah Lyles! While the World’s Fastest Man is yet to find his peace with the country’s basketball stars, it looks like Sha’Carri Richardson is stepping up to bridge the gap between NBA and track and field athletes. The Dallas native left the Paris Olympics with two medals to her name and even got national icons like LeBron James reveling in her glory. And now, by returning the favor once again, Richardson is looking to make amends for Lyles’ comments from last year.
On September 3, the Olympic silver medalist tipped her hat toward the basketball phenom once again via her Instagram story. Sharing the original NBA post, Richardson gave her take on James’ comments on how he wishes to be remembered 100 years from now. “This is a legend!” reads the sprinter’s comment.

When asked if he would enjoy being a basketball legend a century from now, James confessed that if his basketball achievements were the only notable thing about him after his days in the world, he would feel he had failed his mission. Sha’Carri Richardson can relate! “Everybody doesn’t play sports but everyone knows what it’s like to be a human,” said the track star in line with the power forward’s perception. The 4-time NBA champ is easily one of the most recognizable faces in the country and beyond, and Richardson thinks his humility should serve as a reminder about how life is much more than what you achieve on the court.

For the reigning women’s 100m world champ, the 33rd Olympic Games was one of the biggest tournaments of her career. After being restricted from participating in the 2021 Tokyo Games, Richardson was determined to show up in the City of Love to make up for the lost opportunity. However, drama didn’t leave her back in the French capital, and Sha’Carri had to settle for a silver in the 100m dash in Stade de France.

But she didn’t let the snag bog her down, and she soon bounced back to lend her sprinting skills to the USA’s 4x100m relay team. After winning gold at the event, Richardson was spotted turning cheerleader for the men’s basketball team as they bagged gold thanks to emphatic performances from James and Stephen Curry. With her support for the NBA stars, Richardson also waived the white flag to signal that the track vs. basketball beef needs to be put to bed.

Sha’Carri Richardson has been in a new headspace since the Olympics

The track star’s support of the basketball team possibly got amplified after the NBA athletes joined hands to celebrate her first-ever Olympic gold in France. From Steph Curry to Magic Johnson, the basketball celebrities all hailed Richardson’s relay gold. On top of it, LeBron, being the flagbearer for the USA in the French capital, was among the first people to take to social media to shout out at the sprinter, congratulating her for redeeming herself from the misfortune that went down ahead of Japan at the last edition of the quadrennial event. He added a post from ESPN hailing Sha’Carri Richardson as “tough as nails” on Instagram stories and added hands-up emojis and a gold medal.

With that, Richardson also felt that the basketball community’s support had to be reciprocated and joined the likes of women’s soccer legend Megan Rapinoe to cheer for the USA at the basketball final in Paris. But the track and field basketball feud isn’t the only rivalry Sha’Carri sought to end at the Olympic Games this year. Her long-standing online tug-of-war with national teammate Gabby Thomas was also laid to rest when the duo joined hands to bring the USA gold in the women’s 4x100m relay.
Talking about their joint venture, Richardson later said, “I don’t hear anybody else but Gabby. If it’s not her voice, I can’t hear it. Everything else is a blur. Gabby’s voice automatically sends me into a place of determination and it sends me into a place of I know what time it is,” highlighting they brushed their differences aside to prioritize their nation on the grandest stage.