After a sensational NCAA career in which he won two national championships and was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player at Florida, Joakim Noah entered the NBA with plenty of confidence. Picked ninth in the first round of the 2007 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls, the 6'11" big man joined a veteran-laden squad ready to contribute.
However, it didn't take long for Noah to get his reality check in the big league. In the Bulls' fourth game of the season, he faced the Los Angeles Clippers. As he studied their lineup, he noticed Chris Kaman, a 7-footer from Wyoming, Michigan, who was the Clippers' starting center.
Noah breathed a sigh of relief, confident the game would be easy, given his matchup. A few hours later, he discovered how wrong he was.
Noah admitted on "NBA Take Two" that he had no clue who Kaman was then, a big mistake. By then, Kaman was in his fifth NBA season and had established himself as an efficient scorer and a solid rebounder. But Noah apparently didn't know any of that, and he didn't bother to study the scouting report.
"What I remember, I was playing against Chris Kaman, and I didn't know who Chris Kaman was. So, I thought it was going to be an easy night at the office. I was like, 'Yo, I can get buckets on this white guy. Like, I'm good,'" Noah recalled .
Noah eventually learned that he was far from being "good," as Kaman scored 16 points in that game, making all but two of his 10 attempts. He also grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked two shots.
Noah admitted how much of an eye-opener that game was regarding proper preparation. Every player on an NBA roster is a threat and deserves respect.
"If you don't know guys' tendencies in this league, you're making a big mistake. Chris Kaman only goes left. Only goes left," Noah said. "You got to know what are guys' tendencies. You got to take that s—t away and make sure that they get to their counter. That game, I learned that you respect all your opponents."
Kaman played 13 seasons in the NBA, averaging 11.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. He even made the All-Star Team once, averaging 18.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game for the Clippers in the 2009-10 season.
Noah also learned that playing in the NBA meant taking no days off. It didn't matter if you were battling the worst team in the league; you still had to bring it or risk getting embarrassed; that's how good NBA players are.
"If you think you can exhale in this league, you're f—ked. You're f—ked," Joakim stressed. "What do you think NBA stands for? National Basketball — Wrong. No Boys Allowed. No Boys Allowed!"
"You come — you come correct. You come every night. This is a business. You know everybody on the court's tendencies. I didn't know Chris Kaman. That's my fault. I f—ked the team that night," he concluded.
From that point on, Noah ramped up the intensity every night, becoming the Bulls' heart and soul and anchoring numerous memorable playoff runs and battles with the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Oct 25, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
