On Sunday, Memphis Grizzlies veteran big man Joakim Noah made an appearance against one of his former teams, the New York Knicks. The game was held in Madison Square Garden as the visiting Grizzlies defeated the Knicks on their home floor, 96-84.
Unfortunately for Noah, he was greeted by jeers from the home crowd, as Knicks supporters are apparently still feeling bitter about the 33-year-old's forgettable stint in New York.
As it turns out, however, the cold reception meant nothing to Noah, as he still has an unwavering love for the city.
“I really don’t care,” Noah said, via Jonathan Lehman of the New York Post. “I love New York. It’s home. And getting booed in the Garden is not going to change anything.”
Back in the summer of 2016, the Knicks decided to gamble on Noah in the form of a four-year, $72 million deal. It was a high-risk, high-reward type of move with the former two-time All-Star coming off of an injury-marred season.
Article Continues BelowUnfortunately for the Knicks, they were unable to get any return from their investment, as Noah would end up having the two worst seasons of his career while in The Big Apple.
The former Defensive Player of the Year winner absolutely crashed and burned in New York, as he would end suiting up for the Knicks for a total of 53 games in the span of two seasons due to a combination of various injuries/surgeries and drug-related league-imposed suspensions.
After extended negotiations, Noah and the Knicks finally agreed to a buyout in October of last year.
To this day, though, the organization are still in the process of paying the former All-NBA big man the $38 million he is owed, which is probably why the Knicks fans are still feeling the sting of his disastrous time with the team.