Joakim Noah Has Unique Reason for Putting Aside Celtics Hate, Rooting for Them in 2024 NBA Finals

Former Chicago Bulls star and New York native Joakim Noah is hardwired to root against the Boston Celtics. However, the 39-year-old is reluctantly putting his bias aside and hoping that the Eastern Conference champions upstage the Dallas Mavericks in the ongoing NBA Finals. His sole reason for hesitantly siding with the Celtics is his former college teammate and good friend, Al Horford.

During an appearance on the KG Certified podcast, Noah claimed that he hoped his former Florida Gators teammate could finally add an NBA title to his resume. He also highlighted how critical Horford has been to the Celtics’ success, saying,

“It’s bugged out that I’m rooting for Boston a little bit ’cause I want him [Al Horford] to get it…I want Horfy to get one bad. He deserves it…He is making that team go and it shows the importance of having the right OG…Having guys that you could talk to that have been through every situation. He is that guy.”

 

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Noah and Horford’s friendship dates back to their time together at the University of Florida. The duo joined the program in 2004 and spent three seasons together, helping their alma mater win two NCAA championships before declaring for the NBA draft in 2007. The big men blossomed into stars, earning multiple All-Star nods, but neither player has been able to get their hands on the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

A slew of injuries forced Noah to call it a day on his career in 2021, ending his dream of winning an NBA title. While the former Bulls star couldn’t fulfill his goal, Horford is close to achieving his, but with the franchise that his college teammate despises. However, his close friend’s happiness triumphs over his hatred for the Celtics, and hence, Noah is grudgingly backing them to win the title. Rooting for Boston is undoubtedly a chore for the New York native, given that it’s ingrained in him to dislike the city’s teams.

Why does Joakim Noah hate the Boston Celtics?

Joakim Noah’s disdain for the Celtics stems from his love for New York. During a conversation with SB Nation in 2012, the former Defensive Player of the Year explained,

“I’m from New York so I kind of grew up hating the Celtics too. It’s that green…I don’t know. I just don’t like that color…I’m a competitor, they compete very hard. They have a lot of experience together and I just hate losing to them”.

Noah has spent his entire life despising the Celtics and rooting against them. But considering this could be Horford’s last chance to win the title, he’s temporarily keeping his contempt aside and backing Boston to wrap up the series and win the championship.