Joakim Noah gets ovation in return to Knicks

Joakim Noah made his return to court for the Knicks and received a warm welcome from those on hand at Madison Square Garden.

Noah served the remaining 12 games of a 20-game suspension for using a banned substance to begin the season. He remained on the inactive list until Monday. With Enes Kanter set to miss the game against the Blazers due to back spasms, the Knicks activated Noah.

It was Noah’s first game since February 4. Prior to checking in for the first time, he received an ovation from Knicks fans.

Loudest ovation for the night is for Joakim Noah as he goes to the scorer's table to check in for his season debut… not even on the court yet.

— Pat O'Keefe (@patokeefe12) November 28, 2017

Center is a position New York has an abundance of depth at with Kanter, Kyle O’Quinn, and Willy Hernangomez on the roster in addition to Noah. Barring injury to either of them, it’s likely Noah won’t see many minutes this season. Noah is in the second year of a four-year contract he signed last summer worth $72 million.