Joakim Noah reflects on basketball career of ex-PBA import, pal Lenny Cooke

MANILA, Philippines – When Lenny Cooke played in the PBA during the early 2000s, not many were aware of just how big of a hoops prospect he was in the years leading up to his stint with the Purefoods TJ Hotdogs during the 2003 PBA Reinforced Conference.

But one of the few who knew Cooke well was retired Chicago Bulls star Joakim Noah, as he was friends with the 6-foot-6 shooting guard since his teenage years. As Noah visited Manila this past week, he reflected on what could have been of his good pal.

“You know, he’s in New York a lot. You know, Lenny is a real legend to a lot of people. He’s inspired a lot of people, especially in New York City,” Noah told Filipino reporters at the Gatorade Hoops Center in Mandaluyong last Sunday, June 30. 

“He was somebody that I knew since I was 12 years old, being able to play with him and unfortunately, there’s a lot of distractions in New York City, and he wasn’t able to play at the level that he did.”

Cooke actually showed a lot of promise in the PBA, after previously going undrafted in the NBA. This was despite him being among top prospects like LeBron James, Amar’e Stoudemaire and Carmelo Anthony. In his one conference with Purefoods, he averaged 37.9 points and 17.1 rebounds per game.

But Noah said that there were some missteps that Cooke took in his basketball career. Of note, he opted out of college to declare for the NBA draft in 2002, but none of the teams picked the promising talent.

Rather than focusing on what Cooke should’ve done, the two-time NBA All-Star pointed to what he shouldn’t have done.

“But at the end of the day, I know that it’s what’s not to do, yeah? And, yeah I think that Lenny was in a position that a lot was thrown at him very young and you know, sometimes that’s tough.” he said.

Noah actually went on to be a producer for a documentary on Cooke.

As he watched Filipino talents during a Jr. NBA clinic over the weekend, the Bulls star reminded them that it wasn’t important how good you were early on in your career — like how Cooke was when he was ranked among the top five prospects in high school.

Rather, it was about finding the motivation to keep on working on their craft.

“I think my advice is, you know, there’s a lot of guys, we were just talking about Lenny Cooke that played here in the Philippines. It’s not about how good you are when you’re 17, 18 years old. Look at LeBron James, he’s 40 years old, he’s doing the same drills that these kids are doing. It’s the same,” said Noah. 

“It’s just being able to be mentally strong and having that resilience of being able to do it every day and that’s how you get better at this game.”