Joakim Noah

Joakim Noah is the first player I fell in love with and consequently fell deeper in love with basketball. He was the epitome of heart and hustle, leading the Bulls' mentality to work hard despite every excuse, obstacle and adversity. Echoing Coach Thibodeau's words: "We have more than enough." Even if that felt delusional at times.

As much as I love him, he had the ugliest jump shot, but hey, I always say "if it works, it works!" Sometimes it's important not to mess with a good thing. Speaking of good things, I would never mess with Joakim's heart, which manifested in the way he hustled. Fighting for rebounds alongside Carlos Boozer (Hold Dat!), chasing loose balls, and dropping dimes across the court. He adapted and became the point-center, facilitating the offense, reading passes, dragging defenders to the perimeter as others drove to the paint. An example of lifting others up.

For me he was a manifestation that if you put your heart and soul into the work, amazing things happen. But it also means you could do everything right, and still lose. The heartbreak of Chicago, the pain of injury, plantar fasciitis coming at the worst time, but that's life.

His shift into point-center was a lesson in adapting. I think it actually changed the way the game was played in a subtle way. It wasn't just before the Warriors dynasty, but that's when Andrew Bogut and Draymond Green started to get into it a bit more — the position was quietly evolving.

"I don't see what's so great about Cleveland. I never heard anybody say they're going on holiday to Cleveland."

He said it himself, he was disappointed with his time with the New York Knicks, and I was too. But that's life. Having been there myself, facing injuries and setbacks, you start to lose your way, and then it's no longer just basketball. It's life itself.

The other thing that inspired me about Jo was his cultural background and the way he carried it. As a kid growing up in Australia, these concepts felt alien, a window into another world entirely. Witnessing who he was in my late teens was a little cognitive dissonance period for me. As I've grown, I think Derrick Rose said it best — he would ask Joakim about his upbringing, because being the son of a French Open winner, it would be too easy to live a life of privilege. But Jo grew up sleeping on the floors of other people's homes, building deep relationships with coaches who pushed him to work and get better. It just shows, it doesn't matter where you come from. Life will give you something you need to work through, something that is holistically yours. Your personal legend, as Paulo Coelho says in The Alchemist.

It wasn't a specific style of play that made me fall in love with basketball. It was his attitude. The way he hyped his teammates, the whole us-vs-them mentality. That rawness, that ride-or-die energy? That was Jo. Every moment, never giving an inch. If you've seen the video of Joakim Noah and Devin Booker in practice, you'll understand exactly what I mean.

Jo, you were the first player I fell in love with. Every role player, every grinder, every person who gives everything deserves to be celebrated.