Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah admitted that he made a mistake by trying to enter the Oklahoma City Thunder locker room after Thursday night's game, but repeatedly called Thunder counterpart Kendrick Perkins "an angry dude."
Noah reportedly came in to see former teammate Thabo Sefolosha after the latter visited the Bulls' locker room earlier. Perkins didn't like it and exchanged words with Noah before the Bulls star walked out.
"It doesn't matter," Noah told ESPN.com. "Just nothing. Just trying to chill with Thabo. It's all good. ... It's not that serious."
He continued: "I know that you guys are probably bored right now: We're losing, there's nothing to do, there's nothing else to talk about. But it's not a big deal. Just waking up in the morning having to talk to NBA security. Come on, let's move on. We've got a game tonight. It's not a big deal. No big deal."
The Bulls center said he has no history with Perkins. But he repeatedly described Perkins as being angry.
"He's just an angry dude, you know?" Noah said. "It's all good."
His coach Tom Thibodeau dismissed the incident, saying that Noah just wanted to say hi to Sefolosha.
"You see it sometimes where a player -- like Thabo played for the Bulls," Thibodeau said. "So if a guy played for the team it's not a big deal but usually guys will wait outside."
He also said there was nothing surprising with Perkins' reaction. Thibodeau coached Perkins as an assistant coach during his tenure with the Boston Celtics.
"That's normal," Thibodeau said. "That's usually how teams respond."
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