adidas just welcomed Joakim Noah to #teamadidas this season and their bet is paying off. He's always been a good player, great especially on defense. But this year, it seems like Noah is peaking at just the right time for the brand, as he battles his way to triple-double performances, a surprising playoff rank for his team and a leadership role the Bulls desperately need. He's arguably the third man in the MVP race, just behind Lebron James and Kevin Durant.
But things didn't look so er - "rosy" for the Bulls at the start of the season. With Derrick Rose, the number one man for the Bulls and adidas Basketball out for another season, the outlook was bleak in Chi-town. Casual Bulls fans moved on to another bandwagon. Heck, even adidas might have looked elsewhere for a basketball hero - to the clutch Damian Lillard and his surprising Trail Blazers, to John Wall and his Slam Dunk Contest trophy, to the flashy Spanish sensation that is Ricky Rubio or even to Houston where a recovered Dwight Howard seeks a trophy with Jeremy Lin.
There was no reason to take another look at this Chicago roster. Even more when they traded veteran starter Luol Deng for future draft picks. But somehow, Noah has taken Chicago on his shoulders and pushed them up the Eastern Conference. These scrappy, physical, hustling and never-say-die Bulls are following his passion, his attitude every night.
And last night was bigger than most. Yes, it was just a regular season game. But it was against the rivals they so openly hate, the Miami Heat. The Heat, with their "Big 3" and all, weren't supposed to lose. They were supposed to run over this depleted Chicago team. But Noah wouldn't go down without a fight. He taunted the back-to-back champions and backed up his talk with a resounding 20 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 blocks as his team outlasted the Heat in overtime.
He played with such passion that it made the oft-criticized Heat look more lackluster than ever. But then again, doesn't he do that every night? Isn't he the heart and soul of this Bulls brotherhood? And isn't that what makes him such a special, such a worthy ambassador for a brand that prides itself on being "all in"?
"Heart over head. Inclusion over ego. United by passion, we go all in." That is the new mantra that adidas has been using for its "all in campaign". Right now, in the thick of the NBA season, I can't think of anyone else who lives by those words more than Joakim Noah.
But things didn't look so er - "rosy" for the Bulls at the start of the season. With Derrick Rose, the number one man for the Bulls and adidas Basketball out for another season, the outlook was bleak in Chi-town. Casual Bulls fans moved on to another bandwagon. Heck, even adidas might have looked elsewhere for a basketball hero - to the clutch Damian Lillard and his surprising Trail Blazers, to John Wall and his Slam Dunk Contest trophy, to the flashy Spanish sensation that is Ricky Rubio or even to Houston where a recovered Dwight Howard seeks a trophy with Jeremy Lin.
There was no reason to take another look at this Chicago roster. Even more when they traded veteran starter Luol Deng for future draft picks. But somehow, Noah has taken Chicago on his shoulders and pushed them up the Eastern Conference. These scrappy, physical, hustling and never-say-die Bulls are following his passion, his attitude every night.
And last night was bigger than most. Yes, it was just a regular season game. But it was against the rivals they so openly hate, the Miami Heat. The Heat, with their "Big 3" and all, weren't supposed to lose. They were supposed to run over this depleted Chicago team. But Noah wouldn't go down without a fight. He taunted the back-to-back champions and backed up his talk with a resounding 20 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 blocks as his team outlasted the Heat in overtime.
He played with such passion that it made the oft-criticized Heat look more lackluster than ever. But then again, doesn't he do that every night? Isn't he the heart and soul of this Bulls brotherhood? And isn't that what makes him such a special, such a worthy ambassador for a brand that prides itself on being "all in"?
"Heart over head. Inclusion over ego. United by passion, we go all in." That is the new mantra that adidas has been using for its "all in campaign". Right now, in the thick of the NBA season, I can't think of anyone else who lives by those words more than Joakim Noah.
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| Joakim Noah gets pumped up mid-game in his adidas Crazy Ghost kicks. (Photo from the Chicago Bulls Fan Page) |
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