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.
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.
