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Mike Vorkunov: The Bucks decided to waive-and-stretch the $112.6 million owed to Damian Lillard. That's not only the largest stretch-waive ever in NBA history, it's more than the total sum of the 3 previous largest stretch-waive contracts I could find (Joakim Noah, Deron Williams and Nic Batum)
One of the first shows to debut from the new company will be a travel series fronted by former NBA all-star Joakim Noah, who will travel around the world to explore how basketball is played in local communities.
Have there been any NBA guys in particular that’s given you advice over the months or years? Walter Clayton: I’ve gotten a couple from a couple guys, obviously all the Gators. Of course, Bradley Beal, Joakim Noah, and then really it was Taurean Green, one of our assistant coaches this year. He was a back-to-back national champion. So just having him in my corner these past few years has been great for me.
It ultimately died on the vine, but I started calling people — Joakim Noah, Kyle Korver, Billy Donovan, Kenny Atkinson, Mike Budenholzer — suspecting that they were all watching the Finals with more emotional investment than you’d expect, considering the distance between them and Al Horford. And they were all dying for him to finally win a championship. I mean, they were over the moon for him. Billy Donovan was texting me from Europe like, “Do you need a quote? Here’s one...” They just love that guy. Every stop on his career, all those people were watching the Finals thinking, this guy deserves to win a championship. And you just don’t see that as much anymore.
At 7-foot-3 with an eight-foot wingspan, Wembanyama was known for his incredible measurables and fluidity entering the league. However, fellow Frenchman and former Defensive Player of the Year Joakim Noah pointed to another attribute when describing the 20-year-old's impact. “I think his best skill is his intelligence,” Noah told Tommy Alter on The Young Man and the Three. “You can’t take away the fact that he’s 7-foor-4, he can jump to the sky, he can jump to the moon. He’s a hell of a player. His mobility, you can’t teach those things. Then you add in his IQ, him going to sleep early, reading books, all those things that we learn about him. I was blessed to meet his family. Big shout out to his mom and his pops as well for raising just like a good human, he’s solid all around. I think defensively, obviously, when you think you have an open three and Wemby is around, you might think you’re open when you’re not open.”
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Joakim Noah: Hope is a powerful emotion. You always represented hope- in human form. It was clear what you meant to your city even before you got drafted. Everyone knew where you were headed watching you play at Simeon. And when the Bulls got first pick in 2008, and everyone knew you were coming home, the city had hope. It was an honor, a privilege, and a real pleasure sharing the court with you. The memories will never be forgotten. Stories for days!!! The way you carried yourself when the lights shined brightest is what I appreciated most. You were a truly humble warrior. You had the heart of a lion. Quiet but competitive as hell.
KC Johnson: No surprise that Joakim Noah expresses such eloquence here. One of my dominant memories from the 2013-14 season (Rose’s meniscus tear) was Joakim bringing up Rose at least once a week in interviews, always unsolicited. Nobody had Rose’s back like Joakim. pic.x.com/7i0zhyvsld
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.
Joakim Noah says Ja Morant reminds him of Derrick Rose
Does Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant and his on-court game remind him of his former Bulls and Knicks teammate, Derrick Rose? “I think so,” he said. “I see it. I see a lot of similarities. They’re definitely hood favorites. It’s cool. I think there’s similarities in their explosiveness. Physically I think D-Rose is a little bit more explosive. There’s definitely differences in their game.” Noah also weighed in on which current NBA players remind him of his style of play during his hey-day. “I don’t think there’s another Joakim,” he said. “Everybody’s different. You have similarities and certain things. But, maybe Draymond. I would say. Draymond would be the closest. I think he can shoot it a little better. But I think the way he leads, the way he passes the ball, the energy I see that he plays with I think those are all similarities.”
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The son of 1983 French Open tennis winner Yannick Noah, Joakim developed a basketball jones at age 12 when he attended the 1997 McDonald’s Championship. The tournament featured six teams and the tourney’s headliner featured a bald gentleman with a signature Nike shoe. You might have heard of him. Yep, his name is Michael Jordan. “Michael Jordan was playing in that game and it was an inspiring moment for me,” recounted Noah. “I don’t remember any highlights from that game, but I remember Manute Bol was on the court; the tallest man in NBA history. I remember Chris Mullin being on that court.
For Those Keeping Score At Home: Jordan’s Bulls beat Olympiacos in the Championship Finals. “Just seeing Michael Jordan. It was just very inspiring. Then I got to play for the Bulls for ten years. So it was a full circle moment for me.” While Noah played for the hometown Knicks toward the end of his career, hoop lifers remember him for his work as a Chicago Bull. “Playing against the Knicks was always weird because I grew up a Knicks fan,” recounted Noah. “Growing up in New York City, but, Chicago is a special place to play as well. Very nostalgic.”
During the 2010 NBA Playoffs, Noah talked about how Cleveland is a boring city leading up to the Bulls’ 2010 playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. When asked about it after a loss, Noah responded with the most direct question of all time. “Do you like it,” Noah asked reporters. “Do you think Cleveland is cool?” “I mean I never heard anybody say I’m going to Cleveland on vacation. What’s so good about Cleveland?” Years later, Noah upped. the ante on his logic: “I never left my hotel,” he told Scoop B Radio. “And I haven’t been in Cleveland since. So, I can’t tell you too much about it.” But, Noah does give Cleveland, LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love their props for putting the 216 on the map after winning the 2016 NBA Finals. “They definitely did,” Noah said.
Joakim Noah famously had a beef with LeBron James in the 2010s. He says it isn't over. The now-former player appeared on The OG's podcast with Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller, where he was asked whether he has sorted things out with the current Los Angeles Lakers star. The French big man was honest. "No, we haven't," he said. "This s**t is deep because still, to this day, it hits different. When I see somebody from Cleveland, they're not happy about this s**t, 'you're disrespecting where I'm from'. Well, people have to understand that it had nothing to do with Cleveland. It had everything to do with that mother**er LeBron James."
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