Former NBA Star Opens Up About ‘Tough’ Knicks Experience

Joakim Noah opened up on his New York Knicks dream despite its nightmarish nature.

The two-time NBA All-Star and collegiate national champion spoke to Jackson Thompson of Fox News Digital, about his two-year tour in Manhattan, one headlined by a four-year, $72 million contract bestowed to him upon his arrival. Noah racked up numerous hardwood accolades on the amateur and professional levels but didn’t mince words when it came to his metropolitan term.

“It was a tough experience, because I wasn’t able to compete the way I wanted to, I wasn’t able to express myself on the court the way that I wanted to, and it was my childhood dream,” Noah told Thompson. “Something that I want people to know: it was an experience that didn’t work out the way that I wanted to, and that’s life.” 

Noah flourished under the watch of current Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau in Chicago, playing nine seasons with the Bulls. During the 2013-14 season, Noah averaged a double-double at 12.6 points and 11.3 rebounds, which helped him land the Defensive Player of the Year Award and First Team All-NBA honors.

Despite growing injury concerns (playing 29 games during his final season with the Bulls in 2015-16), Noah was paid the big bucks by the Knicks, fulfilling a lifelong dream for the Florida alum. Noah wound up playing only 53 games during his Knicks tenure, which featured a suspension for an injury supplement and a heated altercation with then-Knicks boss Jeff Hornacek.

The Knicks released Noah shortly before the 2018-19 season with $37.8 million left on his deal. He played 47 more NBA games over the next two seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers before retiring in 2021. He currently serves as a team ambassador for the Bulls franchise.

Thompson’s report says that Noah returned to Madison Square Garden this past season, taking in the Knicks’ February tilt against the Grizzlies. Though Noah wasn’t taking sides in the battle of his former employers (as he was mainly there to support current Tennessean and fellow former Knick/Bull Derrick Rose), Noah praised the state of the modern Knicks, especially the status of franchise face Jalen Brunson.

“It was a great feeling just to see the energy in the crowd, just to see the love that these players are getting, it’s well-deserved, because this team is really special,” Noah said. “I remember watching Jalen Brunson. His dad [current Knicks assistant Rick Brunson] was my coach with the Bulls. So I remember watching Jalen play when he was 11 or 12 years old in Chicago, and now to see what he’s doing, the humility that he’s doing it with, and just the way that he’s brought stability to basketball in this city, especially as a point guard, is just so fun to watch.”

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