Joakim Noah on his beef with LeBron James: "He was so good, he was stunting on us"

lbj-noah

Throughout his prime years with the Chicago Bulls, Joakim Noah found his aspirations of reaching the NBA Finals constantly dashed by LeBron James, suffering defeats at the hands of the four-time MVP-led teams on four different occasions.

The animosity between the pair first flared up during the 2010 playoffs when James’ Cavs eliminated the Bulls 4-1. Amidst the disappointing end to their campaign, Joakim directed his ire towards the city of Cleveland, lamenting its ‘pretty depressing’ atmosphere by admitting that he stays in his hotel room whenever he visits due to the NBA schedule.

From that point on, the two-time All-Star was a non-welcomed figure in Cleveland, met with disdain from the fans whenever he stepped foot in the city. However, when shedding light on his beef with the city of Cleveland and its fans, ‘Sticks’ admitted that he bore no ill will towards them. Instead, his frustration was solely directed at facing LeBron on the court.

“No, we haven’t,” Noah on squashing his beef with James. “I think this sh*t is deep, right? Because, still to this day, people hit different. When I see somebody from Cleveland like they are not happy about this sh*t…. You disrespected where I’m from. People had to understand that it had nothing to do with Cleveland; it had everything to do with that motherf***er – LeBron James!”

Noah says he was sick of James’ antics

Delving deeper into his frustration, Joakim openly acknowledged how each successive playoff loss to LeBron’s teams intensified his irritation. The 2010 first-round defeat to the Cavaliers, followed by the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals loss to LeBron’s Miami Heat, another setback in the 2013 playoffs against the Heat, and finally, being knocked out by James’ Cavaliers in the 2015 playoffs, all contributed to his mounting irritation.

While it was hard to witness LBJ taking over the series on each occasion, Noah’s agony further increased when he watched The King’s pre-game antics, such as dancing.

“You know every year you’re losing, you know you gotta get through him to get to the glory…. LeBron was so good, he was stunting on us,” Noah added. “Like he over here, dancing before the game. I got Pete Myers talking in my ears, ‘Yo, you see this sh*t.’ I am a competitor, this sh* drove me nuts. So, I had to let him know.”

Losses against James forced Noah into depression

This isn’t the first time Joakim has opened up on his true feelings of never being able to top LeBron. Previously, in a heartfelt speech, the 6’11” center disclosed the emotional toll of being continuously ousted by the 20-time All-Star, which eventually plunged him into depression.

“I’ve been in the Eastern Conference finals playing against LeBron James, and you know, you losing games by one possession,” Noah said. “Up 15 in the 4th quarter, and you lose. Game over, season’s over. Whole city was loving you, and now they’re looking at you crazy. Depressed in bed for weeks.”

With the four-time MVP besting Noah in 32 of their 52 matchups, including a 16-5 winning record in the playoffs, Noah’s quest for greatness was never fulfilled courtesy of James. Perhaps the competitive spirit that the French center possessed will never allow him to let go of the hate for the Akron native from a basketball standpoint.