Nate Robinson’s locker sits next to Joakim Noah’s inside the Bulls’ locker room, giving the diminutive guard a golden opportunity to continue a habit he began when Noah entered the league in 2007.

“Ever since he has been in the NBA, I’ve told him, ‘Joakim, you’re a cool dude. But you have the worst shoes in NBA history,’ ” Robinson joked. “I used to tease him whenever we played. And now I get to kill him every day.”

Noah is the lone NBA player to endorse Le Coq Sportif, the French brand Joakim’s father, Yannick, favored during his tennis playing days. That Robinson wears Air Jordans with reverence and regularity makes the teasing all the more intriguing.