The 2015 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals series between Derrick Rose-led Chicago Bulls and LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers was a scintillating affair. A margin of 2-7 points decided four out of six games. Naturally, things were heated throughout the series.
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In Game 3, James and Joakim Noah exchanged some words and were almost going to lock heads before referee Tony Brothers intervened to cool things off. It happened when LeBron James spun past Jimmy Butler for a thunderous slam with under nine minutes left in the third quarter.
Noah rose to challenge the shot but was too late as LBJ went past by him in a flash.
Then LBJ had some NFSW words for Noah, who responded by clapping fiercely and then returning the favor with some nasty words of his own. An X user found baseline footage of the incident and transcribed what the two said to each other. This is how the exchange went.
“[LeBron James]: “What’s up, b*tch a** n****”.
[Joakim Noah]: “Yea!”
[James]: “B*tch a** n****”
[Noah]: “F*ck you… you’re still a b*tch tho”
LEAKED Audio Of LeBron James Trash Talking Joakim Noah In 2015👀:
LeBron: “What’s up, b*tch a** n****”
Noah: “Yea!”
LeBron: “B*tch a** n****”
Noah: “F*ck you… you’re still a b*tch tho” pic.twitter.com/E7ER33nzyD
— LegendZ (@legendz_nba) August 3, 2024
This wasn’t the first time and wouldn’t be the last time when LBJ and Noah went at each other. Noah was one of the best help defenders in the league and came face-to-face with superstars consistently. As an intense competitor, he didn’t back down from anyone, which led to a passionate response from James.
However, in the end, Joakim Noah walked away with a win. Derrick Rose hit a game-winning three-pointer to help the Bulls clinch a 2-1 lead in the series. But this wasn’t the only epic affair of the series.
LBJ poetically got his revenge in the next game itself. During Game 4, James drained a game-winning baseline jumper to help the Cavs secure a 2-2 lead.
The Cavs won the two next games and opened the floodgates for long-term dominance in the Eastern Conference. The LeBron James-led Cavs squad didn’t lose a single Eastern Conference series from 2015 to 2018.
It has been nearly 10 years since the two locked horns for the first time, and Noah claims that they still haven’t squashed the beef. On an appearance on the OG’s Podcast with Udonis Haslem, Noah said that he didn’t so much have a problem with the Cavaliers as much as he did with James.
He said his hatred stemmed from the fact that he never beat James, how the 4x Champ would dance before their matchups, and how he would be “stunting” on the Bulls in warmups.
Given that both Noah and James are 39, and will probably never face each other competitively again, it seems like the right time for them to squash the decade-long feud.
