It was meant to be all in fun. But it didn’t feel that way anymore to Joakim Noah.
When Noah would hit a big shot or make a big play, his trademarked celebration was to make guns out of his fingers, pretend to fire them off then holster them at his side.
But in the wake of the tragic shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, and ongoing gun violence in Chicago, Noah has holstered the guns for good. He is no longer doing that celebration (and didn’t when he had a triple-double against the Celtics Tuesday night), he told Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com.“It wasn’t just what happened in Connecticut. You just have to be kind of compassionate about what’s going on, man. We have issues with guns. Gun violence in this country is out of control and you’ve just got to be sensitive to that. I love this country. This country did so much for me.
“But I think it’s important to be more critical and we have issues. I feel just as American as I do French and the issues are complicated, but you’ve got to be sensitive and a lot of kids are dying. In Chicago, a lot of kids are dying in the streets, so that’s why I’m not doing that anymore.”
There are no simple answers to reducing gun violence in our society, to keeping weapons out of the hands of the mentally unstable as well as criminals while respecting the rights of those following the law. It’s something that requires a sober discussion not screaming talking heads looking for attention.
For that reason, I credit Noah. It’s just a basketball celebration, it doesn’t change what is happening on the streets of Chicago. But it’s a sign from someone that we need to be more serious about these issues.
