Former NBA player Joakim Noah has revealed that his feud with LeBron James, which spanned nearly a decade, remains unresolved. Noah expressed his ongoing frustration with James during a recent appearance on The OG”s podcast alongside Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller.
“No, we haven”t,” Noah responded when asked if he had reconciled with the Los Angeles Lakers star. “This s**t is deep because still, to this day, it hits different. When I see somebody from Cleveland, they”re not happy about this s**t , ‘you”re disrespecting where I”m from”. Well, people have to understand that it had nothing to do with Cleveland. It had everything to do with that mother**er LeBron James.”
During his tenure with the Chicago Bulls, Noah faced repeated playoff defeats at the hands of James, with the Bulls being eliminated by James-led teams in the 2009-10, 2010-11, 2012-13, and 2014-15 seasons. James holds a dominant 16-5 playoff record against Noah, averaging 26.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game in those matchups.
“Every year you”re losing, you know you have to get through him to get to the glory. That”s where it came from. People are trying to make it, ‘yo, this our side.” No, you”re looking at it wrong. This is competition. This is what you represent? I don”t give a f**k what you represent. This is Chicago Bulls. That”s all it was,” Noah asserted.
Reflecting on James” on-court demeanor, Noah recalled feeling agitated by the Lakers star”s pre-game antics. “LeBron was so good he was stunting on us. He was stunting on us! He [was] over there dancing before the game. I”ve got Pete in my eyes, in my ears talking about, ‘You see this s**t , you see this s**t ?” I”m a competitor. I see this s**t . This s**t drove me f**ing nuts,” Noah admitted.
Despite the intense rivalry with James, Noah clarified that his disdain was directed towards the player, not the city of Cleveland. “But because [of] LeBron James and all that s**t, people think I hate [Cleveland]. There are other cities just as wack as Cleveland,” he stated.
Noah retired from professional basketball after the 2019-20 season, having played a limited role for the Los Angeles Clippers, concluding a career marked by fierce competition and memorable clashes with one of the game”s greatest players, LeBron James.
