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Joakim Noah
Joakim Noah 3.jpg
Noah with the Chicago Bulls in 2011
Chicago Bulls
Team ambassador
Personal information
Born (1985-02-25) February 25, 1985 (age 40)
Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Nationality French / Swedish / American
High school
Listed height 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight 232 lb (105 kg)
Career information
College Florida (2004–2007)
NBA Draft 2007 / Round: 1 / Pick: 9th overall
Selected by the Chicago Bulls
Pro career 2007–2020
League NBA
Career history
2007–2016 Chicago Bulls
2016–2018 New York Knicks
2017 →Westchester Knicks
2018–2019 Memphis Grizzlies
2020 Los Angeles Clippers
Career highlights and awards
  • 2× NBA All-Star (2013, 2014)
  • All-NBA First Team (2014)
  • NBA Defensive Player of the Year (2014)
  • 2× NBA All-Defensive First Team (2013, 2014)
  • NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2011)
  • 2× NCAA champion (2006, 2007)
  • NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player (2006)
  • Consensus second-team All-American (2007)
  • 2× First-team All-SEC (2006, 2007)
Career NBA statistics
Points 5,881 (8.8 ppg)
Rebounds 6,058 (9.0 rpg)
Blocks 874 (1.3 bpg)
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  France
EuroBasket
Silver 2011 Lithuania Team

Joakim Simon Noah (born February 25, 1985) is a retired professional basketball player. He was born in New York City but played for the French national team. In college, he played for the Florida Gators and helped them win two NCAA championships in a row in 2006 and 2007.

The Chicago Bulls chose Noah in the 2007 NBA draft. During his career, he was a two-time NBA All-Star. In 2014, he was named to the All-NBA First Team and won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award.

Early Life and Family

Joakim Simon Noah was born in Manhattan, New York, on February 25, 1985. His family is full of famous athletes and artists. His father is Yannick Noah, a French singer and former top tennis player who won the French Open in 1983. His mother is Cécilia Rodhe, who was Miss Sweden in 1978. His grandfather, Zacharie Noah, was a professional soccer player in Cameroon.

Noah lived in Paris, France, for ten years before moving back to New York City when he was 13. He played high school basketball at three different schools: the United Nations International School, Poly Prep Country Day School, and The Lawrenceville School.

College Career at Florida

20061013 Sha Brooks and Joakim Noah at Midnight Madness 3-point shoot
Noah (right) at a college basketball event called Midnight Madness in October 2006.

Noah played for the Florida Gators at the University of Florida from 2004 to 2007. In his first year, he did not play much. But in his second year, he became a key player for the team. He was the team's leading scorer and shot-blocker.

Winning National Championships

Noah and his teammates Al Horford and Corey Brewer led the Gators to an amazing run. In 2006, they won the NCAA championship by beating the UCLA Bruins. Noah was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. In the final game, he scored 16 points, had 9 rebounds, and blocked a record 6 shots.

Instead of going to the NBA, Noah and his teammates decided to stay in college for another year. In 2007, they did it again! The Gators won their second straight national championship, this time beating the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Professional NBA Career

Chicago Bulls (2007–2016)

Joakim Noah rebound
Noah grabbing a rebound for the Bulls in 2009.

The Chicago Bulls picked Noah in the 2007 NBA draft. His first few years were a time of growth. By the 2009–10 season, he was averaging a "double-double," with over 10 points and 10 rebounds per game.

In 2010, Noah signed a big contract extension with the Bulls. He continued to be one of the best centers in the league. In 2012, he recorded his first career triple-double, which is when a player gets 10 or more in three different statistics (like points, rebounds, and assists).

Becoming an All-Star

Joakim Noah and Kevin Seraphin
Noah playing defense against Kevin Séraphin of the Washington Wizards in 2011.

The 2012–13 season was a breakout year for Noah. He was named to the NBA All-Star team for the first time. That season, he had an amazing game against the Philadelphia 76ers where he scored 23 points, grabbed 21 rebounds, and blocked 11 shots. This rare kind of triple-double showed how skilled he was on both offense and defense.

Defensive Player of the Year

In the 2013–14 season, Noah had his best year ever. He was named an All-Star again and became famous for his incredible passing as a center. He recorded four triple-doubles that season.

His hard work paid off when he won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award. He was the first French player and only the second Bulls player, after Michael Jordan, to win it. He was also named to the All-NBA First Team, an honor for the top five players in the league.

Final Years in Chicago

After his amazing 2014 season, Noah began to deal with injuries. In the 2015–16 season, he had a shoulder injury that required surgery. This was his last season with the Bulls.

New York Knicks (2016–2018)

Marcin Gortat, Joakim Noah (32487084982)
Noah playing for his hometown team, the New York Knicks, in 2017.

In 2016, Noah signed with his hometown team, the New York Knicks. Unfortunately, his time in New York was affected by more injuries. He had knee surgery in 2017. Later that year, he was suspended for 20 games for breaking the league's anti-drug policy by taking a supplement he said he did not know was banned.

He played in only a few games for the Knicks before the team released him in 2018.

Later Career and Retirement

Noah didn't give up. He signed with the Memphis Grizzlies for the 2018–19 season and played well as a backup center. He then had a short run with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2020 before his contract ended.

In March 2021, Joakim Noah announced his retirement from basketball. To honor his great career in Chicago, the Bulls named him a team ambassador.

National Team Career

Gasol and Noah
Noah (right) playing for France against Spain's Pau Gasol at EuroBasket 2011.

Noah has citizenship in the United States, France, and Sweden. He chose to play for the French national team.

He helped France win a silver medal at the EuroBasket 2011 tournament. An ankle injury kept him from playing in the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Personal Life

In 2010, Noah and his mother started the Noah's Arc Foundation. The foundation helps children in Chicago express themselves through art and sports.

Noah is married to Brazilian model Lais Ribeiro. They got married in July 2022 in Brazil.

Awards and Honors

College

  • 2× NCAA champion (2006, 2007)
  • NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player (2006)
  • First Team All-SEC (2006)

NBA

  • 2× NBA All-Star (2013, 2014)
  • NBA Defensive Player of the Year (2014)
  • All-NBA First Team (2014)
  • 2× NBA All-Defensive First Team (2013, 2014)
  • NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2011)
  • J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award for community service (2015)

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2007–08 Chicago 74 31 20.7 .482 .000 .691 5.6 1.1 .9 .9 6.6
2008–09 Chicago 80 55 24.2 .556 .000 .676 7.6 1.3 .6 1.4 6.7
2009–10 Chicago 64 54 30.1 .504 — .744 11.0 2.1 .5 1.6 10.7
2010–11 Chicago 48 48 32.8 .525 .000 .764 10.4 2.2 1.0 1.5 11.7
2011–12 Chicago 64 64 30.4 .508 .000 .748 9.8 2.5 .6 1.4 10.2
2012–13 Chicago 66 64 36.8 .481 .000 .751 11.1 4.0 1.2 2.1 11.9
2013–14 Chicago 80 80 35.3 .475 .000 .737 11.3 5.4 1.2 1.5 12.6
2014–15 Chicago 67 67 30.6 .445 .000 .603 9.6 4.7 .7 1.1 7.2
2015–16 Chicago 29 2 21.9 .383 .000 .489 8.8 3.8 .6 1.0 4.3
2016–17 New York 46 46 22.1 .490 .000 .436 8.8 2.2 .7 .8 5.0
2017–18 New York 7 0 5.7 .500 — .500 2.0 .6 .3 .3 1.7
2018–19 Memphis 42 1 16.5 .516 .000 .716 5.7 2.1 .5 .7 7.1
2019–20 L.A. Clippers 5 0 10.0 .500 .000 .750 3.2 1.4 .2 .2 2.8
Career 672 512 27.7 .491 .000 .700 9.0 2.8 .8 1.3 8.8
All-Star 2 0 18.5 .667 .000 .000 7.5 4.0 .5 .5 8.0

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2009 Chicago 7 7 38.7 .510 — .760 13.1 2.3 .9 2.1 10.1
2010 Chicago 5 5 36.6 .528 — .947 13.0 2.6 1.8 1.4 14.8
2011 Chicago 16 16 33.1 .411 — .725 10.2 2.5 1.0 2.1 8.7
2012 Chicago 3 3 33.0 .731 — .636 9.3 3.0 .7 1.3 15.0
2013 Chicago 12 12 34.1 .437 — .641 9.6 2.3 .8 2.2 10.8
2014 Chicago 5 5 42.0 .512 — .588 12.8 4.6 .8 1.4 10.4
2015 Chicago 12 12 32.9 .408 — .650 11.0 3.2 .8 1.2 5.8
2020 L.A. Clippers 2 0 1.0 — — — .0 .0 .0 .0 .0
Career 62 60 33.9 .465 — .676 10.6 2.7 .9 1.7 9.3

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2004–05 Florida 29 0 9.4 .600 — .577 2.5 .5 .2 .7 3.5
2005–06 Florida 39 38 24.9 .627 .000 .733 7.1 2.1 1.1 2.4 14.2
2006–07 Florida 40 40 25.9 .607 1.000 .663 8.4 2.3 1.1 1.8 12.0
Career 108 78 21.1 .616 .500 .684 6.4 1.7 .9 1.7 10.5

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Joakim Noah para niños

  • List of Florida Gators in the NBA
  • List of sportspeople with dual nationality
  • List of people banned or suspended by the NBA
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