PARTIED OUT
Joakim says NYC nightlife was too much for him
Joakim Noah says tempting nightlife in New York led to his Knick downfall
Joakim Noah was undone by partying in New York City.
The center made that startling admission two months after he was released by the Knicks, ending a colossally disappointing stint after signing a $72 million contract.
“I can look back at it and say I was ready for New York City, but I wasn’t,” Noah said on the ‘Chris Vernon Show’ from Memphis, where the center signed recently for the remainder of the season. “Not just the pressure. I remember after the first game I had 60 people in my house. I’m too lit to play in New York City. Memphis is perfect for me.”
Noah’s partying was well known and young players, including fellow Frenchman Frank Ntilikina, were told not to go out with him, according to a source.
Asked if he also partied during his much more successful stint in Chicago, Noah
said, “We were lit in Chicago but I was young so you recover faster.”
This is obviously massively disappointing to Knicks fans who had high hopes for Noah restoring some semblance of the hustle and grit from the 90s. But Noah was a disaster during his 1 ½ seasons. He totaled 53 games, averaging fewer than five points. The 33-year-old also underwent two surgeries, served a 20game PED suspension and was banished from the team after an altercation with former coach Jeff Hornacek.
Noah said he continued to party after his exile.
“When I got kicked off the team, it was New York Fashion Week and I was getting paid a lot of money and I had no direction,” he said. “And so I really had to make a decision of how I wanted to live my life because if I kept going in the direction I was going and staying in New York I probably wouldn’t be here right now.”
Apparently Noah couldn’t control his urges to party until leaving New York to train in Malibu. He then signed with the Grizzlies last week and was immediately thrust into the rotation, playing at least 13 minutes in the last five games.
“Yeah, partying. Just yeah. I’m getting paid millions of dollars and have nothing to do and I’m 32 years old,” he said. “And so I really had to really lock in and set a routine for myself and set my training. Because partying and being an athlete don’t go hand-inhand.”
Noah was waived by the Knicks via the stretch exception in October, meaning they still owe him $38 million. His salary will occupy New York’s salary cap until 2022.
He represented Phil Jackson’s biggest signing after Carmelo Anthony, leaving Chicago after being the Defensive Player of the Year in 2014.
But even Noah characterized his contract (four years, $72 million) as crazy. He clearly wasn’t ready to live up to it, mentally and physically.
“It happened so fast. From one year, I’m playing 35 minutes per game and then injuries started piling up and I got this crazy deal with the Knicks and then the next thing you know I’m not playing anymore,” he said. “Get kicked off the team. It was a crazy time so I wasn’t sure I was going to play again.”