Despite embarrassment from LeBron James, Joakim Noah gives flowers to ‘GOAT’
Two-time NBA All-Star Joakim Noah has praised LeBron James despite his Cleveland Cavaliers being the thorn in his Chicago Bulls' side.
Follow Us
Former rival Joakim Noah calls LeBron James as the greatest ever
LeBron James is about to enter his 22nd season in the NBA. In all those years, he has fought many battles against other stars of the league. While most opponents have ended up on the losing side, some have won a few battles against him.
Among those who lost was Joakim Noah. He and his Chicago Bulls teammates locked horns with the nearly 40-year-old during his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat. Noah spoke about the missed opportunities with their championship-caliber team and gave James his flowers despite their long-standing beef.
I’m trying to win, it never happened. I’m still processing. People still talk to me about the Cleveland thing. But there was a lot of hurt. I’m saying in the most respectful way, you gotta give the guy his flowers. The guy is all-time great. Greatest I’ve ever played against. Gotta give Bron his flowers.
Joakim Noah said on the All the Smoke podcast
Joakim Noah on LeBron:
— ? (@MaskedInLA) October 3, 2024
“He’s the greatest I ever played against. Gotta give Bron his flowers” pic.twitter.com/QTKpAnjBy8
Noah was referring to when his team was loaded and primed to fight for NBA titles. The Chicago Bulls of the early 2010s had the likes of the recently retired Derrick Rose, a young Jimmy Butler, Carlos Boozer, Luol Deng, and several others. All of them were brought in to compete for titles.
But James and the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated them four times in six attempts in the NBA playoffs. The 2015 conference semifinal loss was the final nail in the coffin for one of the best Chicago Bulls teams in the post Michael Jordan era. Noah has acknowledged that they were stopped by the best in the game.
LeBron James was a dominating force in the Eastern Conference
LeBron James came into the league in the 2003 Draft. That season and the following one, he and his Cleveland Cavaliers did not make the NBA playoffs. But in the five seasons that followed, James led his team to at least the Eastern Conference semifinals. However, after playing without a proper supporting cast, he took his talents to Miami.
That brought James another four years of reaching the NBA finals, winning two of his first four NBA titles. Then a desire to return back home saw him start his second stint with the Cavaliers. The return saw another four straight trips to the NBA Finals, in which he managed to win the first championship for his hometown team.
That makes it thirteen years (out of fifteen) of taking his teams to at least the conference semifinals. It was a dominant run by an outstanding player who, in the eyes of Joakim Noah, has become the greatest player of all time.
Stay Updated!
Joseph Varghese
(2265 Articles Published)