Joakim Noah has always had a few choice words for LeBron James and the cities or teams The King’s played for in the past.
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Joakim is the son of former French Open champion Yannick Noah. The former Bulls star was one of the Florida Gators’ all-time greats, winning 2 NCAA championships there.
His teammates Al Horford and Corey Brewer were also selected with him as top-10 draft picks in 2007. Horford went 3rd, Brewer went 7th off the board and Noah was 9th to the Bulls.
Joakim played in Chicago for 9 seasons, during which he riled up a few Cleveland and Miami fans. It was no coincidence that Noah chose to insult these teams while losing to LeBron James on the court.
Noah was one of the few players in the league who trash-talked James in public or on the court. Sometimes this talk concerned James and his team, but Noah also drew enmity with the entire city of Cleveland in 2010.
Joakim Noah trash talked LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and co ahead of their 2011 NBA Finals loss
The Chicago Bulls faced the Big 3 era Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA playoffs while carrying homecourt advantage. However, LeBron James did a number on D-Rose all through the 4th quarters of that series.
James’ clutch play on both ends ensured a couple of pivotal victories for the Heat this series. The Heat secured a hard-fought 83-80 victory in Game 5 to seal the series and advance to the NBA Finals.
Joakim Noah took some thinly-veiled shots in the post-game interview at the Heat Big 3. He didn’t mention LeBron by name, but everyone in the room knew what his implication was when he said:
“You gotta give credit where credit is due, Miami’s one hell of a team. They’re Hollywood as hell, but they’re very good, so you’ve gotta give credit when credit is due. And it’s just tough to be in this position right now.”
