Joakim Noah spoke about his rivalry with LeBron James on ‘All The Smoke‘ recently. He noted that his competitive spirit didn’t appreciate LeBron James celebrating his wins over him, but he has respect for James and called him the greatest player that he ever got to play against, while still maintaining how upset he was about the losses.
“There was no faking. And LeBron [James] was so talented and so good sometimes, I felt like it was… He would start dancing, and it would piss me off. I’m trying to win. It never happened. I’m still processing. We’re competitors, at the end of the day. This is the business of competition.”
“People still talk to me about the Cleveland thing. They think it’s funny but I think there was a lot of hurt. ‘Yeah, you beat us, but f**k you and your whole city’. That’s basically what it was. I’m saying that in the most respectful way.”
“You gotta give the guy his flowers. The guy is an all-time great, the greatest I ever played against. I’m always going to shout out Michael Jordan, but you get to play with your son this year, gotta give Bron his flowers.”
https://twitter.com/MaskedInLA/status/1841975318686388691
Joakim Noah and LeBron James would have regularly heated exchanges on the court during the early 2010s, both when James was on the Heat and then the Cavaliers. Noah was a serial instigator, while also being the best defender on the Chicago Bulls, so he would consistently be asked to guard James during games.
The two players would go at it with each other on several different occasions, with the first coming during James’ final season with the Cavs. This was the series where Noah made his now-infamous comments about Cleveland as a city. And Noah’s attempt to stop LeBron and win a championship didn’t come to an end till 2020.
Joakim Noah Feuded With LeBron For A Decade
As mentioned above, Noah and James would go head to head several times during the 2010s. The Cavaliers beat Noah and the Bulls in their 2010 series. They would face each other again in 2011, with the Bulls being the first seed coming into the Eastern Conference Finals off the back of that year’s MVP, Derrick Rose.
But that didn’t amount to much, as the newly formed big three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh, sent them home in just five games. Noah wouldn’t get a chance against LeBron James in the playoffs until 2015 when he and the Bulls took on James and the Cavaliers.
Despite winning two games, including one incredible home game thanks to an iconic buzzer-beater from Rose, the Cavaliers dispatched them in six games en route to the NBA Finals. Noah and James would never face off in the playoffs again, although they came very close to it in Noah’s final season in the NBA.
Noah signed with the LA Clippers during the 2019-20 NBA season. Many expected the Lakers, who were led by LeBron, and the Clippers to face off in the Western Conference Finals.
But the Clippers were shockingly eliminated by the Nuggets in the second round, thus ending Noah’s career just one game away from potentially facing James again for the opportunity to go to the NBA Finals and win a championship.
Despite this, it appears that Noah has reflected on his career, and has nothing but respect for James. The former Defensive Player of the Year had some intense battles with James, but couldn’t get the better of the King.
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