Two NCAA championships but none in the NBA and LeBron James was Joakim Noah’s biggest curse in this sense. So much so that Noah still is not over from his losses against the King. And during his recent interview with Hype Magazine, the 2x All-Star faced a two-part question- if there is still any beef between the two, and the hardest part of playing against the King?

While not saying anything about the beef, Noah mentioned the hardest part of playing against Bron to be “losing in the playoffs”. He emphasized how he only had a few chances at a championship, which never worked because of the 20x All-Star star. Surprisingly, this turned out to be one of the rarest instances when Noah had nothing but praise for LeBron. But is this an end to the rivalry said to have started back in 2010? 

Notably, the 2x NCAA champ has used many names for James, even seriously upsetting him on an occasion. But this time he emphasized on giving credit to LeBron, terming him the best he ever competed against. “And unfortunately, he beat us four times in the playoffs. That’s the reality of playing against one of the greatest…,” Noah said. As for their playoff contentions, Bron has ousted Noah and Derrick Rose’s Bulls 4 times.

The first instance was James and Shaq’s Cleveland Cavaliers securing a 4-1 win in the first-round series. To worsen the situation for the Bulls, LeBron James joined forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the Miami Heat. Subsequently, the trio crushed Noah’s aspirations twice — the 2011 conference finals and the 2013 conference semifinals — by 4-1 in both series.

The only time Noah with the Bulls managed 2 wins in a playoff series against the King was in season 2015. And he may not have said a word in an interview with Hype, but the sparks of beef still exist.

More to Noah’s beef with LeBron James than the playoff history?

Appearing on an episode of JJ Redick’s ‘The Old Man & The Three Podcast’, the 2x All-Star had once stated that he believed James, Wade, and Bosh were all going to land with the Bulls rather than the Heat. As per Noah’s statement, Bosh had told the 2014 DPOY that he’d be coming to Chicago.

Noah even admitted to wanting all three players on the Bulls, as he wanted to make the team better at any cost. “I did try to recruit LeBron. I did try to recruit D-Wade. And I think that’s where a lot of the animosity came from,” he added. And this was reflected recently in an episode of The OGs, where he faced the question if the beef between him and Bron has ended.

He denied the statement, saying it has nothing to do with Cleveland, but everything with “that mother*****r, LeBron James!” Noah explained the torture of thinking every year they had to get through James to get anywhere close to the championship. And it was not just losing but the 4x NBA champ taking fun in defeating them, as claimed by Noah. However, Noah not saying anything about the beef now in his interview with Hype Magazine may as well be an end to this rivalry now.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.