As soon as Joakim Noah came into the league in 2007 as the 9th pick for the Chicago Bulls. That 6’11, the 22-year-old big man had the clear intent to go against the top names in the league, and he did it quite well.
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Noah probably had one of the best rivalries with LeBron James when they were both competing in the East. Joakim in a Bulls uniform and LeBron in Cavaliers and then in a Heat uniform gave some of the best basketball moments for 10-plus years.
Had injuries not plagued his career, the French international would have made it way bigger than he actually did in the NBA. But the man still has multiple All-Star, and All-NBA team appearances, a DPOY, and some good stories to tell us from his 13 years in the league.
Kobe Bryant ignored LeBron James and made Joakim Noah realize he is “sick as hell “
Being in one of the best teams of the 2010s, playing alongside Thee Derrick Rose in his prime, Noah was a big name in the country and hence once got an invitation from the White House to play a pick-up game with Barack Obama on his 49th birthday.
The 2x All-Star not only gave the President a tight game and an elbow here and there, but he also witnessed The Black Mamba doing Kobe things even in a pick-up game.
He told the story recently on JJ Redick’s podcast about how the 5x NBA champ ruthlessly took his eyes off the court in an instance mid-game when The King stole the basketball and ran for the fast break to dunk at the rim, which generally is a sight that no one in the NBA wishes to miss.
Vicious Kobe!
The Mamba did give The King his due respect
Kobe was notoriously infamous for considering himself the only competitor to Michael Jordan or even better than him.
He seldom gave LeBron James in that conversation for most of his 20-year career.
It wasn’t until 2018 when the 4x Champ chose to wear the Purple and Gold that Bryant came around and appreciate the greatness James deserved.
