New York Knicks center Joakim Noah caused a bit of controversy this week when he decided to skip a team dinner at the West Point military academy.
The military academy expressed disappointment in Noah's absence, and he explained his reasons for being a no show.
It wasn't his hate for the cadets or the soldiers , but his anti-war stance.
Noah's teammates also came to his defense and shielded him from any notion that he shouldn't stick to his beliefs.
Derrick Rose has probably known Noah the longest of all of his teammates, and was the first to speak up.
That’s him and I respect him for it. That’s the last thing he wants is to make a certain group feel a certain way. But that’s who he is. Like his heart, and how careful he is and how thoughtful he is about people.
I just don’t want people to paint an image of him who he’s not. He’s a caring guy, a loving guy, and the last thing he wants is the attention that’s coming to him from everywhere about him about anti. And that’s something he’s not. But of course people are going to run with it and make their own stories, but the people on this team and everybody on this staff, everybody knows his heart and that’s the only thing he cares about.
Carmelo Anthony who has also been vocal against violence in various communities gave his teammate an assist.
All athletes are human beings and they have their own beliefs.
For him to take the stance that he took and really say it publicly and really mean it and really feel, then he’d have to really believe in that. I don’t think somebody’s just going to say, ‘I’m not going to go’ just because of this or just because of that without having a feeling or an emotion about it or really living that. That’s a big step for him to take. He must really feel the way that he feels and believes the way he believes.
Noah is a unique case. He has lived in several countries where he holds citizenships for them all. He is against war, and feels people should be honored instead of flags.
Being from other places, he doesn't feel loyalty to one place over another, and says he doesn't totally get the concept of dying for a country, but he understands why others do it.
When it comes to protesting along with his Knicks teammates during the season, Noah doesn't know what they'll do but he will be ready.
We’re all thinking. But it’s not about dividing people. It’s about uniting people and finding solutions. If you’re asking me personally, you know, flags, patriotism and all that, I’m not really into that. I come from a lot of different places. I don’t feel like one country is better than another one, or that I’m ready to die for a flag or a country. I’m not like that. I’ve never really been into, never really understood, patriotism, but at the end of the day, I understand.
Follow Us
Subscribe
