Joakim Noah on his first matchup against Dirk Nowitzki: “I looked at the coach, ‘Yo, you put me in a position to fail”
Joakim Noah was well known for his defense, rightfully earning the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2014. That year, he also earned an All-NBA First Team nod, as he was a legitimate MVP candidate during that season mainly due to his elite defense.
Despite his stature as a top-notch defender, he still struggled to guard some of the best players. One of those names is Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki, who Noah considered one of the most challenging matchups of his career.
“My Dirk story is my first preseason game was against the Mavericks. So that meant we did not have our coverages down, but I downed the pick-and-roll, and I gotta get back to Dirk. To this day, I still remember him shooting that 18-footer. It didn’t even touch the net,” Noah said on The OGs Podcast with Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller.
“I was like, oh. I looked at the coach, ‘Yo, you put me in a position to fail.’ That’s not right; how you gonna have me down the pick-and-roll against Dirk Nowitzki?”
Recommended Articles
Dirk’s fadeaway was a nightmare for the defenders
Nowitzki was one of the most potent offensive players from 1998 to 2019. It was a legendary career because he was always a superb scorer that made defenders tremble. Noah was one victim out of countless big men who played against Dirk.
The German’s signature move, a one-legged fadeaway from the post, was nearly unblockable. During his 21-year career, only three players got a hand on the ball during Dirk’s signature shot, making it one of the most unstoppable signature moves in NBA history alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s iconic Skyhook.
It is a move that many players have replicated because of how unstoppable it is. Nowitzki felt honored with 2023 MVP Joel Embiid adopting the one-legged fadeaway.
“He texted me the day after and said, ‘I had to show respect to you and shoot it on your silhouette.’ My silhouette is now on the Mavs’ floor, and he said he had to shoot one for me. That made me, of course, feel really good. I’m honored that he thinks it’s a good shot to have,” Dirk said on Takeoff with John Clark.
Noah learned from playing against players like Dirk
That preseason game was an eye-opener for Noah because he felt that should not happen to him again. It was a good lesson learned early on because Joakim would grow into one of the best defenders in the league. He was not only a strong defender in the paint but also thrived when switching to smaller players in the pick-and-roll.
Dirk's exceptional skills on the court motivated players like Noah to elevate their defense to elite levels in order to compete against him. Noah's determination to stop offensive titans like the German sniper propelled him to become a Defensive Player of the Year, marking the beginning of a successful 13-year NBA career.
