Things didn’t go well for the Chicago Bulls in OKC last night at all — not only did they lose, but their guests weren’t very welcoming. Thunder center Kendrick Perkins not-so-kindly asked Joakim Noah to vacate his team’s locker room after the game. Per the Oklahoman and CSN Chicago:
Bulls center Joakim Noah accompanied friend and Thunder starter Thabo Sefolosha into Oklahoma City’s dressing room. Perkins immediately took exception.
“They let anybody into the locker room, huh?” Perkins shouted after spotting Noah at the entrance of the dressing room while seated at his locker.
Russell Westbrook, from across the room, soon chimed in.
Noah then addressed Perkins directly, asking if he wanted him to leave and saying if Perkins wanted him out he would leave. Perkins, still seated, responded with an obscenity-laced retort, which he capped by saying “Get yo’ (expletive) up out of here.”
Team officials and security quickly huddled in an attempt to diffuse the rapidly escalating situation. Noah remained at the entrance of the locker room for a brief moment before exiting. Reporters later saw Perkins and Noah briefly exchange words once more in the hallway when they crossed paths.
[…]
Sefolosha had previously visited the visiting locker room in Chesapeake Energy Arena, something he customarily does and did as recently as the two teams’ October preseason game in Wichita, Kan. The Bulls often welcome former teammates; current Rockets swingman Ronnie Brewer visited the Bulls’ locker room last night in Houston.
Other Thunder players, such as the All-Star duo of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, were on the opposite side of the locker room during the incident, so they couldn’t see who Perkins was addressing. But when informed by reporters that it was Noah, they were amused, jokingly blamed Sefolosha and also seemingly supported Perkins’ actions.
