Joakim Noah skips West Point dinner because of stance against war

Joakim Noah declined to join his new Knicks teammates at a dinner with Army cadets on Thursday night because of his hard stance against war and gun violence. Noah received permission from head coach Jeff Hornacek to skip the dinner as well as a speech from a retired colonel.

For the third consecutive year, the Knicks are taking some time to prepare for the upcoming season in West Point, NY, where the United States Military Academy is located. That doesn't exactly sit well with the 31-year-old Noah, a strong anti-war advocate who is in his first season with the team.

“It’s hard for me a little bit — I have a lot of respect for the kids here fighting — but it’s hard for me to understand why we go to war and why kids have to kill kids all around the world,’’ Noah said, per the New York Post. “I have mixed feeling about being here. I’m very proud of this country. I love America. I don’t understand kids killing kids around the world.’’

Noah was the only Knicks player not present at the function, but Hornacek made it clear that he didn't have a problem with the center's preference not to attend.

“It’s his right,’’ Hornacek said. “We want him part of the team group. He just didn’t feel comfortable. We’re not going to pressure him into doing that. We had a speaker who I thought was fantastic. I told him maybe I can get him a copy of the speech, so he can hear some of it. It’s his right. That’s fine.

“With all his stuff he does against gun violence, it’s plenty fine with us.’’

Noah signed with the Knicks this offseason after spending nine years with the Bulls in Chicago, where he actively worked to prevent gun violence in the community, especially among the city's youth.

He asserted that his decision to forego the dinner and speech wasn't meant to be a form of protest, but rather that he just didn't feel comfortable being in attendance given his views.