I know what you’re thinking because I thought it too. But I regret to inform you that the man in the picture is not an older version of Joakim Noah on an epic but perilous journey through time to stop some dreadful post-apocalyptic future in which mankind is ruled by Bat Boy. (And no, the not-Future Noah isn’t using that little kid as a human shield against Bat Boy’s hunter-killer cyborgs. As far as you know.)
The man of mystery is actually Joakim’s father, Yannick Noah, a pop-soul singer and former professional tennis player from France. According to Yannick’s Wikipedia entry: “He is best remembered for winning the men’s singles title at the French Open in 1983, and as a highly-successful captain of France’s Davis Cup and Fed Cup teams.” Which I take to mean “He is barely remembered at all.”
Anyway, rather than appearing in a blast of light to provide Joakim with some dark glimpse of a tomorrow that may never happen, Yannick was simply at the game to watch his son play basketball. But Yannick’s visit to Madison Square Garden was good for more than just a cheap laugh about our horrible days to come. It was good for a fascinating anecdote too. According to Steve Smith of The Chicago Bulls Blog: “Yannick had told the New York broadcasters an interesting story I hadn’t heard before about Joakim, that he ended up shooting that odd sideways rotation shot because when he was small, he insisted on only shooting threes. I knew the three would eventually ruin young basketball players. But young Joakim couldn’t reach the rim. So he put both hands around the ball and spun it up. And never stopped.”
Well, that certainly explains a lot…
He’s actually one of the two or three most popular French people according to various polls…
I don’t think you could find 1 person in France that doesn’t know Yannick Noah. But you being a typical US citizen who couldn’t care less about what happens outside your so-called ‘best country in the world’, i’m not surprised by your comment about his legacy.
You could have made that joke about probably a thousand retired european sports stars. But you had to pick one of the few that are actually still famous.
Matt, in fact Joakim’s father was a hell of a tennis player, well ahead of his time in terms of political and social posture as an athlete (ok, he was considered a little outkast in the 80’s ATP). And winning a Grand Slam title, like Roland Garros, is not a small thing. He was the most adored french idol at that time alongside Michel Platini. That explains a lot about Joaquim’s act. What does not is the fact that he doesn’t seen capable of playing the right way on D and shoot the ball like a pro. The Bulls should better trade him – and Hughes and Gordon and Thomas. Edu.
well, HELL!
apparently you don’t know tennis.
Yannick Noah was the most fun guy EVER on the court.
Just check this single vid out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTtTFV0jXuk
Dude was freakin’ hilarious.
Actually, his son is also freakin’.
So continue to dig the bleep out of chicago bulls stories!
Peace.
Did my first comment get deleted by the admin ?