“Every team that LeBron was on, was always a war” – Joakim Noah recalls heated battles with LeBron James

LeBron James used to do battle with Eastern Conference powers like Joakim Noah’s Chicago Bulls prior to joining the LA Lakers in the summer of 2018.

During a recent interview on the “Knuckleheads with Quentin Richardson & Darius Miles” podcast, Noah looked back on his time with the Bulls when his team battled with James’ for Eastern supremacy.

“Every time we played the Miami Heat, every time we played Cleveland, every team that LeBron was on, was always a war,” Noah said (h/t Essentially Sports) “Those are the games that you pencil it on the schedule. You put that circled.”

Interestingly, LeBron James nearly went to Chicago to join Noah’s team in the 2010 offseason. The Bulls were courting James, Wade and Bosh, who were all free agents at the time, hoping that two of the three would sign on to play in the Windy City.

Unfortunately for them, the trio went to the Heat to play together and form a Big 3, which was later nicknamed the “Heatles” because of their popularity and star power. During their four years together, LeBron James and his buddies went to the Finals four straight years and won two titles.

In contrast, Noah’s Bulls were eliminated each time in the playoffs, including the 2015 NBA Playoffs, when they were defeated by James who had just returned to the Cavs a year ago.

LeBron James versus Joakim Noah

The rivalry between LeBron James and Joakim Noah may have been fueled in 2010 when the two had a heated argument during a game.

Apparently, Noah didn’t take too kindly to James’ dancing after the 2004 Rookie of the Year was fouled and was headed to the line with his Cleveland Cavaliers up 89-71 against the Chicago Bulls.

While taking his free throws, LeBron James took exception to something Noah said, and the two combatants had to be separated.

Later in the postseason, the teams met again. Noah decided to add fuel to the fire by dissing the city of Cleveland in an interview and then incensed its natives even more in his postgame interview.

“I never heard anybody say I’m going to Cleveland on vacation,” Noah said. “What’s so good about Cleveland?”

Since then, Noah had become public enemy No. 1 in Cleveland (except when No. 23 left the team in the summer of 2010). Every game between the 2014 Defensive Player of the Year and LeBron James became a war of attrition, whether James was with the Cavaliers or playing for the Miami Heat.

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Now, Noah is retired. But he didn’t win a title during his 13-year career, primarily because of his team’s inability to stop James in the postseason.

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