Tag: Joakim Noah

Joakim Noah on Frances Tiafoe, bridging the NBA-tennis gap and the recent rise of French basketball

Former NBA star Joakim Noah is uniquely positioned to discuss the connections between tennis and basketball.

Former NBA star Joakim Noah is uniquely positioned to discuss the connections between tennis and basketball.

Noah, a two-time collegiate men’s basketball national champion at the University of Florida, grew up in New York. His father, Yannick Noah, was a widely-known tennis star in France and reached career-high singles ranking of No. 3 in the world.

YANNICK NOAH: Watch Joakim Noah’s dad ignore a sideline interview to give his son a standing ovation

After his March Madness titles, Noah enjoyed a long and successful career as a professional basketball player. He was a two-time NBA All-Star and even won the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2014.

Although he did not follow in his father’s footsteps to play tennis, he still follows the sport and recently attended the US Open in his hometown of New York City.

The former basketball star, who is celebrated for his intensity and being unafraid to clash with LeBron James, caught up with For The Win from the Emirates Suite during their NBA night at the 2024 US Open.

He discussed his thoughts on tennis star Frances Tiafoe (who wore Noah’s jersey before a match earlier this year), the recent rise of basketball in France (where he represented the national team), and more.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Do you think Frances Tiafoe is creating a bridge between basketball and tennis?

Joakim Noah: Yeah! He has an inner city energy about him and it resonates a lot with the hoopers. A lot of the tennis players don’t know too much about basketball and he’s definitely a bridge. He has a great personality. I love the way he carries himself out there and he is somebody that a lot of the hoopers can relate to.

What drew you to basketball over tennis given your family background?

Joakim Noah: My father was a larger-than-life personality in France. It made me shy away from the game because of people’s expectation toward me when it came to tennis. I felt really safe playing basketball. I loved the team aspect. I loved being able to have friends and be able to do my own thing.

To what do you credit the recent rise of basketball in France?

Joakim Noah: Being retired from the game, I have more time and perspective to travel. I also grew up in the French grassroots system. I understand the difference between the AAU circuit out here in America compared to over there. The reality is that the competition is getting tighter. There is not this dominance that USA once had. I really believe that the reason why, especially in watching [the men’s Olympics gold medal] game, is that the grassroots system is completely different over there. That is the reason you are seeing all of these young talents coming in through the draft. You are seeing Wemby, who is obviously the next face of the league. But they are also doing something on a day-to-day basis: Professional teams have an 18-and-under and a 16-and-under [program]. Even at 12 years old on a Saturday, you can go see the pro team play or the 14 year olds play in the same gym right after your game. The fact you can see what that next level looks like and feels like is great for the younger players.

Describe your feelings watching LeBron versus Wemby in the Olympics final.

Joakim Noah: I think it was an unbelievable game. Obviously, watching Stephen Curry and LeBron James play on the same court after all those great moments they gave us was really powerful. Especially the way that Steph ended the game, you just saw greatness in full display. I felt like France really played their hearts out and they had a team that French people can be really proud of. When you’re playing in big games like that, all it does is inspire the next generation and I think basketball is in a really good place.

What are your impressions of the Emirates NBA Cup and the In-Season Tournament?

Joakim Noah: The NBA In-Season Tournament is something that is really needed for the NBA because the basketball calendar is a marathon. So being able to incentivise the guys to play hard in November and play for the guys who maybe don’t make as much money as the star players just makes everybody play harder. I really appreciate the Emirates NBA Cup because it brings the competition that we all love watching.

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Chicago alum Joakim Noah on the growth of overseas basketball and his Bulls legacy

Noah recently opened up in an interview about his time with Chicago and the growth of the sport abroad.

Back when he was winning national titles with the University of Florida, it was clear that former Chicago Bulls big man Joakim Noah would carve a career out for himself at the next level, and he found fame with the Bulls, who drafted him ninth overall in the 2007 NBA draft.

Noah would go on to make two NBA All-Star teams (2013 and 2014), All-NBA First Team (in 2014), All-Defensive First Team (2013 and 2014), All-Defensive Second Team (2011), and several other honors while playing for the Bulls. A Chicago legend in his time with the team, the New York City native recently took some time to sit down with the hosts of the “Point Forward” podcast, Evan Turner and Andre Iguodala.

The trio of former NBAers shared their thoughts on the league of today as well as Noah’s career in Chicago, among various other topics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbX7og2N_og

To hear what they had to say for yourself, check out the clip embedded above, or click here to play it on YouTube.

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Devin Booker reacted to his game-winner by recalling his beef with Joakim Noah about double teams

DBook is no longer complaining about the double.

Thanks to Devin Booker, the Phoenix Suns have now won seven games in a row and eight of the nine games he has played in 2023-24.

Despite some poor injury luck to start the season in Phoenix, the Suns are still near the top of the standings in the Western Conference and Booker is playing some of his best basketball to date.

He proved as much once again on Sunday by hitting a game-winning shot in Madison Square Garden against the Knicks.

Despite the double coverage, Booker nailed a 3-pointer from 26 feet to give the Suns a three-point lead. The shot eventually sealed the deal to secure an exciting win for Phoenix.

After the game, he posted on Instagram to celebrate the impressive shot.

This is likely a reference to when Booker went viral in 2019 for complaining about Joakim Noah sending a double-team on him during an open gym pick-up game. Afterward, Booker’s future teammate Kevin Durant as well as the late Kobe Bryant weighed in on the controversy.

He has since joked about the incident and also changed his tune about the conversation.

Although the argument that Booker actually did struggle against blitzing and trapping had some validity, he silenced those critics by connecting on one of the most clutch shots of the season.

Booker has only played in slightly more than half of the games possible for Phoenix so far this season. But he still ranks among the highest for Clutch Win Probability Added, per Inpredictable.

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Will former Bulls star Joakim Noah be a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer?

Should former Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah be a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer?

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The Chicago Bulls are one of the most historic franchises in the history of the NBA. From Michael Jordan to Scottie Pippen to Derrick Rose, they have been home to some legendary players. Even beyond the best of the best, some top-notch individuals have donned the red and black in Chicago.

One of those players, Joakim Noah, is going to be eligible for entrance into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame next year. And as the Hall of Fame weekend proceedings continue, next summer’s class is becoming a topic of conversation. Could Noah get inducted in his first year of eligibility?

The guys of CHGO Sports discussed this very topic on their YouTube channel.

Should the two-time All-Star and one-time Defensive Player of the Year gain entrance to the Hall of Fame next summer?

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Former Bulls Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah go to watch Victor Wembanyama

Former Chicago Bulls stars Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah traveled to France to watch Victor Wembanyama play.

Ever since the Michael Jordan years, the Chicago Bulls have been up and down. For the majority of the last 30 years, they’ve sat in the middle of the pack. But for a brief period of time in the early 2010s, Chicago had hope. And that hope came in the form of Derrick Rose.

The hometown kid was drafted first-overall to the Bulls in 2008, and just one year prior, Chicago picked up Joakim Noah, who would become one of Rose’s right-hand men. The two have been friends since, and recently, they traveled all the way to France to watch soon-to-be number-one pick Victor Wembanyama.

Wembanyama spent this past season playing for Metropolitans 92 in France, and he just recently helped them advance to the playoffs. The team snapped a photo of Rose and Noah sitting by the court to watch him play, which was relayed to Twitter by Daniel Greenberg.

Chicago had a tiny chance to jump up to the first pick and select Wembanyama, but instead, their first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft remained at 11th and was conveyed to the Orlando Magic.

Instead, the San Antonio Spurs won the lottery and will have the right to select Wembanyama. He’ll join a long line of dominant big men selected first overall by the Spurs. It’s a group highlighted by David Robinson and Tim Duncan.

San Antonio also has experience developing French players, as Tony Parker became a dominant force with the Spurs, carving out a Hall-of-Fame career that includes an NBA Finals MVP.

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Kevin Garnett and Joakim Noah on their beef, the NBA of today and tomorrow

The longtime antagonists and the story of how they came to be enemies on the hardwood and talk on the league now and in the future.

Most avid fans of Hall of Fame Boston Celtics big man Kevin Garnett are aware of the animosity between The Big Ticket and longtime Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah, and many recently learned about it with the release of part of the recent interview between the former on-court foes on the Showtime Basketball “KG Certified” podcast.

But the longtime antagonists and the story of how they came to be enemies on the hardwood is not the only thing they had to talk about in their time together chatting up the league of their era.

The pair also get into the league of today as well as tomorrow, with some talk on this season and the imminent arrival of Victor Wembanyama.

To hear their talk in full as they squash their beef now that they have ended their respective playing careers, take a look at the clip embedded above.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Joakim Noah reveals how Kevin Garnett’s trash talk turned him into an animal

The Celtics great had no quarter for the Florida alum when Noah first played KG as a rookie.

By now, most fans of the Boston Celtics have heard the story of what happened when a young Joakim Noah tried to make a friend out of his childhood idol Kevin Garnett when the former University of Florida standout first met The Big Ticket on the court.

It was truly a “welcome to the NBA” moment for Noah, who recounted in part interviews how that experience changed his entire outlook on the sport and how he conducted himself on the court.

On a recent episode of the Showtime Basketball “KG Certified” podcast Garnett and Noah talked about that day and plenty more.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what the duo had to say about trash talk and the on-court code of conduct in that era.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Kevin Garnett and ex-Chicago Bulls star Joakim Noah squash beef

After years of the same old stories being told, Chicago Bulls big man Joakim Noah and Kevin Garnett sat down to squash the beef.

Despite their recent struggles, the Chicago Bulls have a rich history. Obviously, the first era that comes to mind is the Michael Jordan-led Bulls. But since then, Chicago has fielded some fun roster. Most notably, there were the Derrick Rose Bulls, which also featured a variety of interesting characters alongside the former number-one pick.

From Luol Deng to Taj Gibson, the Bulls employed some fun players, but outside of Rose, few were as impactful as Joakim Noah. The hard-nosed big man was a defensive menace and made it a habit to get under the skin of his opponents. One of his most infamous beefs was with Kevin Garnett, but the two recently put it to rest.

On a recent episode of KG CERTIFIED, Noah sat down with Garnett, and the two star big man spoke about their rivalry on the court. Despite the fire they showed in their playing days, the conversation showed that they have nothing but respect for one another.

“I was trying to destroy your will,” Garnett told Noah. “But never in another stratosphere would I ever thought that you were a fan of mine. So, I come today and I say, I apologize for killing that light, my brother.”

During one of their matchups back in the day, Noah told Garnett that he was a huge fan of his. Garnett, being the fierce competitor that he is, snapped back at the Bulls big man, completely shutting him down.

The moment became a legendary story, and the two big men have told their sides of it plenty of times over the years. But after finally sitting down together and talking about the incident, it’s clear that there’s no bad blood between the two.

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Colin Castleton climbing Florida’s all-time shot blocker list

Take a look at where Colin Castleton ranks among the all-time shot blockers at Florida.

Florida basketball has a formidable force down low on defense in the form of center [autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag], a fifth-year senior who transferred to the Gators from the Michigan Wolverines ahead of the 2020-21 campaign.

While the 6-foot-11-inch, 250-pound big guy has made his presence felt in the paint during his three years in Gainesville, he has stepped things up in his final campaign. Notching 54 and 62 blocks in his first two years wearing the Orange and Blue, respectively, he already has 38 blocks in just 15 games played (vs. 24 and 28 games, respectively).

Castleton came into the season right at No. 10 on the list with 116 blocks but has quickly worked his way up. While there is a good chance he could finish third or fourth all-time if he remains healthy and consistent it is practically impossible for him to catch up to No. 1.

Take a look below at Florida’s top 10 shot blockers over the course of history and where Castleton currently ranks among them as the 2022-23 season rolls along.

The 10 best Cyber Monday deals for the Florida Gators fan in your life

The best holiday gift ideas for any Florida Gators fan in your life.

Happy holidays, Florida fans!

Football season is coming down the home stretch, basketball season has started, and for NCAA fans it’s the most wonderful time of the year.

It’s been an up-and-down football season for Florida, but Gators Wire is giving you a reason to celebrate this holiday season.

Whether you’re an alumni, a current “Gainesvillain”, or just really love to reminisce about the days of Tim Tebow, Emmitt Smith and Joakim Noah, we’ve got you covered with our list of best Gators gifts for the holiday season.

Fanatics is offering 30% off all orders on Cyber Monday, so take at least 30% off the prices in the list below and get the perfect gift for the Florida fan in your life.

If you need another gift for the sports fan in your life, consider a USA Today Subscription which includes Sports +, exclusive access to our Sports + app and the best content from across the entire USA Today Sports network.

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