Joakim Noah Tried to Recruit LeBron James and Dwyane Wade to the Bulls

Surprise, surprise!

In the latest episode of The Old Man & the Three podcast, former Chicago Bulls forward Joakim Noah revealed he tried to recruit LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in the summer of 2010.

“Yes, I did try to recruit LeBron. Yes, I did try to recruit D Wade,” said Noah, whose legendarily fierce competitiveness burned even hotter against the team he once called “Hollywood as hell.”

“…a lot of the animosity came from that. It fueled the fire that much more.”

Noah’s admission comes five years after Derrick Rose revealed that he, too, tried to lure LeBron James and Dwayne Wade to Chicago. 

Of course, the future Hall of Famers instead joined forces with Chris Bosh in Miami, knocked the Bulls out of the playoffs twice, and won a pair of titles with the Heat.

The rivalry that ensued, though, did make for some classic battles and this iconic gif.

Still, one can only imagine the kind of juggernaut the Chicago Bulls would’ve become had Joakim Noah’s or Derrick Rose’s sales pitch worked.