Video: Joakim Noah Says LeBron James Was 'Arrogant' During Cavs-Bulls NBA Rivalry

Former Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah discussed some of the issues he had with LeBron James during his playing days in an interview this week.

During an appearance on the Out The Mud Podcast (h/t Peter Sunjic of Basketball Network), Noah suggested that he took umbrage with some of LeBron's on-court antics, saying:

"My issue was, I felt like LeBron was—he was obviously the best player in the NBA—but he was arrogant, and he is a stunner.

"There was moments where you were down 20 points, you shooting a free throw with your left hand, you dancing all over the court, I wasn't feeling it. So I let it be known that I wasn't feeling none of this s--t, I had enough, I was a passionate player. And s--t, you lose to somebody five times in the playoffs—there is nothing funny about that."

Noah and the Bulls actually went 0-4 against James-led teams in playoff series, as LeBron's Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Bulls in 2010 and 2015, and his Miami Heat took down Chicago in 2011 and 2013.

The 39-year-old Noah had a successful NBA career, spending 13 seasons in the league with the Bulls, New York Knicks, Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers.

His best years were in Chicago, as he was a two-time All-Star, three-time NBA All-Defensive Team selection and one-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year during his nine-year stint with the Bulls.

Noah's tenure in Chicago saw the Bulls make seven consecutive playoff appearances, although they lost in the first round four times and only made it as far as the Eastern Conference Finals once.

Those teams featured stars such as Noah, Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer and a host of others, but playoff success always seemed to elude them.

The Bulls even went 62-20 in 2010-11 with NBA MVP Derrick Rose leading the way, but LeBron, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the Heat took them down in the Eastern Conference Finals.

From 2011 through 2018, James reached the NBA Finals eight times in a row with the Heat and Cavs, and the Bulls were often a casualty of those playoff runs.

Noah's Bulls won just five of the 21 postseason games they played against James' Heat and Cavaliers, so it is understandable why the gritty big man may have gotten fed up with LeBron.

Despite his problems with LeBron on the court, Noah was also complimentary of his long-time adversary, saying: "To be dominant at 40 years old is pretty crazy. I mean, I can barely walk to the bathroom, and this guy is still dominating."

James has long established himself as one of the all-time greats, as he is the NBA's career scoring leader and has four NBA titles, four NBA Finals MVP Awards and four NBA MVP Awards to his credit.

Despite having just turned 40 years old last month, James is still playing at a high level as well with averages of 23.8 points, 8.8 assists and 7.7 rebounds per game with the Los Angeles Lakers this season.

Further speaking to James' success and longevity is the fact that Noah entered the NBA four years before he did, and has now been retired since 2020.