Bulls' Top Pick Joakim Noah Is A Llifelong Knicks Fan

Joakim Noah has always been a fashion risk-taker. Long before the big-haired big man wowed NBA commissioner David Stern with his seersucker suit on draft day, he was traipsing around Gainsville in what one blogger referred to as his "man-dress."

Yet, for all his fashion daring, there is one thing that Noah swore for years that he never would wear: a Chicago Bulls jersey.

Yes, the man whom the Bulls made the ninth pick in June's draft was once a die-hard Knicks fan. Noah grew up just 10 blocks from Madison Square Garden, cheering for Patrick Ewing and John Starks and Charles Oakley. He was one of the hardcores who stuck around until the end of games so he could chant for backup center Herb Williams.

"I loved the Knicks. Michael Jordan made me cry," Noah said in an interview last week. "I remember being in France and waking up at 3 o'clock to watch the Knicks. And Michael would get 50 on us and hit the game-winner."

Cheering against Jordan from France?
No, the Bulls' new center is not exactly your typical Chicagoan. Noah is not your typical anything, which may go a long way in explaining why he has ignited so many strong and contradictory passions from fans before even playing a minute in the NBA.

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source : newsday.com