Los Angeles (AFP)

French hub Joakim Noah, whose return to the NBA was aborted in early March by the coronavirus pandemic, said he was "as ready as possible" to finally finish this season with the Los Angeles Clippers, in an interview with The Athletic.

The Clippers "made it very clear to me what they expected from me. As a player, that's all you can ask for. I'm in an environment where there is a winning culture and a team who really wants to go for the title. You can't ask for more, "said Noah.

"No matter what role I play, I'm grateful. It's not about comparing myself to what I did in the past but just being the best I can be physically and sharing my experience with the guys on the team", he continued.

In early March, the Clippers hired the 35-year-old veteran on a ten-day contract, the terms of which allow the club, if satisfied with the player's performance, to extend him until the end of the season.

If the pandemic did not leave time for Noah to show that he had good minutes left to offer on the floor, after almost a year of absence, the Californian franchise decided to keep it in its workforce to dispute the end of season from July 31 in the Disney World bubble in Florida.

- "A guy who can help us" -

"For some, the suspension of the season has been beneficial, and this is the case for + Jo +, who has been able to get healthy and get in good shape. And it will be important for him. He will be a guy who can help us, "said his new trainer, Doc Rivers, also interviewed by The Athletic.

Third pivot in the Clippers' rotation, behind Montrezl Harrell and the Croatian Ivica Zubac, Noah, who has not played since March 23, 2019, will try to bring his combativeness in defense and his experience.

The Frenchman, who could have even played at the start of the season in Los Angeles, without a big cut in an Achilles tendon which occurred at the end of September just before his testing, has never lost sight of his objective, despite an operation and six months lost.

"I knew that if I hadn't trained and that one day the Clippers called and I was not ready, I would have had a lot of regrets. And that is what pushed me to m "Coaching, this hope of joining this team. It was not a question of money. It was none of that. It was being able to end my career in a team that has a common goal." he explained.

A goal none other than the NBA title, never touched by Noah who, in 12 seasons, was selected twice at the All-Star Game (2013, 2014) and was named best defender in the League in 2014.

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