Perkins didn’t take kindly to Noah entering OKC locker room.
Chicago Bull center Joakim Noah has conceded that he made a mistake by entering the Oklahoma City Thunder locker room which led to an altercation with Kendrick Perkins.
Noah described his rival as being an “angry dude” after he was told to leave the locker room despite being invited in by former team-mate Thabo Sefolosha.
The former Bulls star had been in to visit his old team-mates and coaching staff and invited Noah back with him, only for Perkins to take exception and insist that he wait outside.
The pair then exchanged more heated words as Noah made his way to the Bulls team bus, although it is understood that there was no threatening behaviour prior to his departure.
“It doesn’t matter,” Noah said of the incident, according to ESPN. “Just nothing. Just trying to chill with Thabo. It’s all good. … It’s not that serious,” he told reporters.
“I know that you guys are probably bored right now: We’re losing, there’s nothing to do, there’s nothing else to talk about. But it’s not a big deal,” Noah said.
“Just waking up in the morning having to talk to NBA security. Come on, let’s move on. We’ve got a game tonight. It’s not a big deal. No big deal.”
Noah insisted that he had no previous history with Perkins, and despite him being an “angry dude” he believes that everyone should now move on from the incident.
However, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau believes that Noah should never have entered the rival locker room, despite wanting to meet up with Sefolosha and his family.
While he claims that the Thunder star was welcome into the Bulls locker room because he had previously played for the team, a player who has not played for that team previously should not enter the room as it ultimately leads to issues.
Thibodeau coached Perkins during his stint with the Boston Celtics, and insisted that he would have expected that kind of reaction from the center.
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