Joakim Noah Hypes LeBron James’ 22nd NBA Season: ‘I Can Barely Walk to the Bathroom’

Scott Polacek@@ScottPolacekFeatured Columnist IVNovember 3, 2024

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Joakim Noah and LeBron James had plenty of postseason battles during the former’s career, but the former Chicago Bulls big man had nothing but praise for the Los Angeles Lakers star during a Friday appearance on The Young Man and the Three podcast.

“To be dominant at 40 years old is pretty crazy,” Noah said (47:30 mark). “I mean I can barely walk to the bathroom. And this guy is still dominating. It speaks volumes to how serious he takes it. You’ve gotta give LeBron his flowers.”

Noah turns 40 years old in February, while James will do so in December.

But Noah is retired and last played in a regular-season NBA game during the 2019-20 campaign. He also appeared in just five games that season after playing 42 in 2018-19 and seven in 2017-18.

He was nowhere near the same player he was at his peak, while James is still on the shortlist of the best players in the league. The King was an All-NBA Third Team selection last season while appearing in 71 games and averaging 25.7 points, 8.3 assists and 7.3 rebounds.

There is no doubting his resume at this point as one of the greatest players in the history of the league, and he has remained effective even at this stage of his career.

While James may not be the same overwhelmingly dominant force he was at his peak, he has aged better than almost anyone to ever play in the NBA and remains a go-to option for a Lakers team with realistic playoff aspirations in a daunting Western Conference.

He also made history this season by playing alongside his son, Bronny, as the first father-son duo to take the court together in the NBA.

James has earned the admiration of fans, peers and former players alike during his illustrious career, and Noah was just the latest to echo those sentiments.