LeBron James and Joakim Noah are not exactly BFFs, and now we are getting yet another testament to that much.
In a lengthy and insightful piece on the free agent summer of 2010 that led to LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh signing with the Miami Heat, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst addressed Noah’s attempts to recruit James to the Chicago Bulls. Despite his already “acrimonious” relationship with James, Noah called The King early on during the free agent period. James never returned his call.
The piece also discusses how Chicago’s pursuit of the three stars was hurt by the fact that they only had the cap space to sign two of them and could not find a trade partner to help them clear room for the third. Then-franchise star Derrick Rose’s lack of active involvement in the recruiting process was also cited as a factor in why the team ultimately failed.
The Bulls and the Heat would go on to develop a big rivalry in the early part of the decade, but the bad blood between James and Noah ran way deeper. Noah infamously ragged on the city of Cleveland during James’ first stint there, and the two would regularly get into spats on the court even years later.
Now that James is on the Los Angeles Lakers and Noah has signed a rest-of-the-year deal with the rival LA Clippers, we might actually be treated to another helping of the age-old beef when the NBA resumes in Orlando.
