Joakim Noah Biography

Joakim Noah is at peace with walking away from the game

Joakim Noah sat down with reporters to discuss walking away from the game, fatherhood, and lessons learned from both Tom Thibodeau and Billy Donovan. “My days are great,” Joakim Noah was saying before Thursday night’s game with the New York Knicks. “A lot less anxiety. I sleep a lot better. I’m getting married this summer; I’m really excited about that. I take my kids to school. It’s a slower pace. But I love it. I have a lot of things, I have a lot of purposes. I work with my foundation. I’m really excited to be able to come back to Chicago and do some things to help here. Work with the Bulls on some initiatives to do well here. Do some things for the kids. I’m working closely with NBA Africa as well, watching the development of basketball over on the continent, working with Luol (Deng). And that’s something I’m really proud of as well. So I feel like basketball, especially the Bulls, have given me an unbelievable platform, and now I’m able to move to the next step.”

“It’s very special to be able to share this with my old teammates and my family and have some closure and just appreciate the great memories,” Noah said. “It’s just a great feeling just to see my dad with a smile on his face, my mom with a smile on her face, and my kids. My kids didn’t get to see me play here, and these were really special times, so I’m just really happy (to have) a moment.” “Obviously, I miss the competition and I miss the locker room,” said Noah. “But when your body tells you it’s time to go, it’s time to go. So you have to be honest with yourself. I shot every bullet in my gun and I have no regrets. I gave it everything I got. And you know what, yesterday it felt great to just spend some time with teammates I hadn’t seen in a long time, and I feel like that is what it’s all about. Being able to talk about the memories and the good times, the hard times”.

Famous For

• Being a French-American former professional basketball player.
• For his high-energy plays, mainly on the defensive end.

What is Joakim Noah’s Real Name?

Joakim Noah opened his eyes for the very first time on 25th February 1985 with the real name of Joakim Simon Noah in New York City, New York, United States. He is of French-American nationality and belongs to mixed ethnicity. He holds three citizenship cards; American, Swedish, and France citizenship. Similarly, his religion is Christian and his race is white. Joakim has celebrated his 36th birthday as of 2021 and as per his birthdate, his star sign is Pisces. He was born to French singer and former world No. 3 tennis player Yannick Noah (father), winner of the French Open in 1983, and Cecilia Rodhe (mother), Miss Sweden and fourth runner-up at Miss Universe 1978. His grandfather Zacharie Noah was also a Cameroonian professional football player, winner of the Coupe de France in 1961. He has three siblings one brother named Joalukas Noah and two sisters named Yelena Noah and Jenaye Noah.

Regarding Noah’s academic qualification, his high school career was spread out across three schools: United Nations International School, Poly Prep Country Day School, and Lawrenceville School. He also attended the University of Florida.

How was the basketball career of Joakim Noah?

College career

• Joakim Noah kicks off his basketball career playing for coach Billy Donovan’s Florida Gators men’s basketball team from 2004 to 2007 in the University of Florida and was a member of Donovan’s 2004 recruiting class.
• He played 9.4 minutes per game and averaged only 3.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game during his 2004-2005 freshman year whereas during his 2005-2006 sophomore year, he was listed as a power forward but was moved to center to replace Al Horford, and in that position, he led his team in points (14.2 ppg) and blocks (2.4 ppg) while ranking second in rebounds (7.1 RPG) behind teammate Al Horford (7.6 RPG).
• He had declared for the 2006 NBA draft by the end of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament. He was named the Most Outstanding Player (MOP) of the NCAA Tournament’s Minneapolis Regional after leading the Gators over top-seeded Villanova in the final game with 26 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 blocks.
• Noah paced the Gators to a 73-57 victory over the UCLA Bruins for the school’s first NCAA basketball championship on 3rd April 2006, 2006 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship Game and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. In the final game, he scored 16 points, made 9 rebounds, and blocked a championship game record 6 shots.
• In the championship game vs. the Ohio State Buckeyes, he was in a match-up against the future 2007 NBA Draft number one pick, Greg Oden.

Professional career

Chicago Bulls

• Joakim Noah was selected as the ninth overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls where he and his teammates at Florida, Corey Brewer and Al Horford, became the highest-picked trio from the same college in the history of the NBA.
• He made his regular-season debut off the bench after missing the first three games with a sprained ankle on 6th November 2007. He scored 2 points and had 4 rebounds. He also averaged 6.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game during the 2008-2009 regular season.
• He played a key role in Game 6 of the 2009 Eastern Conference first-round playoff series between the Bulls and the Boston Celtics. In the final minute of the game’s third overtime period, with the score tied at 123-123, he stole the ball from Paul Pierce and dribbled down the court for a dunk, drawing Pierce’s sixth foul in the process. The Bulls went on to win the game 128-127, though they would lose the series in Game 7.
• He averaged 10.7 points and 11.0 rebounds per game. during the 2009-2010 season, however, he only played 64 games due to injury.
• The Bulls once again made the playoffs where Noah averaged 14.8 points per game and 13.0 rebounds, but the Bulls lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round in five games.
• Later Noah signed a five-year, $60 million contract extension with the Bulls on 4th October 2010 but the Bulls announced on 15th December 2010 that due to ligament damage in Noah’s hand, he would have surgery and miss 8 to 10 weeks.
• He returned to action in the 55th game of the season on 23rd February after recuperating from right thumb surgery. He scored 7 points and had 16 rebounds in just over 24 minutes. He returned to the inactive list for games 74, 75, and 76.
• As well, he recorded his first career triple-double with 13 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks on 22nd February 2012 which was the first triple-double by a Bulls center since Artis Gilmore recorded one in 1977.
• He recorded his career highs of 30 points and 23 rebounds in a win against the Detroit Pistons on 7th December 2012 as well as he recorded his second-ever triple-double, scoring 11 points, grabbing 13 rebounds, and providing a career-high-tying 10 assists, in a 100-89 victory over the Boston Celtics on 8th December 2012.
• On 24th January 2013, Noah was named as a reserve in the 2013 NBA All-Star Game and also became the Bulls’ first All-Star center since Artis Gilmore in 1982.
• On 28th February 2013, he recorded his third career triple-double, scoring 23 points, collecting 21 rebounds, and blocking a career-high 11 shots in Chicago’s 93-82 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
• He had an 18-game streak of 10 or more rebounds, averaging 13.9 rebounds during that stretch from 28th December 2013 to 1st February 2014.
• He was named a reserve in the 2014 NBA All-Star Game for the second time in his career on 30th January 2014. He also recorded his fourth career triple-double in a 100-85 win against the Atlanta Hawks, finishing the game with 19 points, 16 rebounds, and 11 assists on 11th February 2014.
• He became the first NBA center with 3 games of 10+ assists in a season since Brad Miller of the Sacramento Kings in 2005-2006 and the only center with 13 assists in a game since Vlade Divac in April 1996.
• As well, he recorded his fifth career triple-double with 13 points, 12 rebounds, and 14 assists in a 109-90 win over the New York Knicks on 2nd March 2014.
• On 9th April 2014, Noah had 15 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 102-87 road win against the Minnesota Timberwolves which was his fourth triple-double of the season.
• He was awarded the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award for the first time in his career on 21st April 2014 and he is the second Chicago Bull to win the award, after Michael Jordan who won it in the 1987-1988 season, he also became the first Frenchman to win the award, the 4th international to win, and the second European overall to win.
• On 4th June 2014, Noah was named to the 2014 All-NBA first team.
• He had a season-best game with 18 points and 15 rebounds in a 113-111 overtime win over the Golden State Warriors on 27th January 2015. He finished the season averaging 7.2 points and 9.6 rebounds, his lowest averages since the 2009-2010 season.
• After missing nine consecutive games with the injury in the 2015-2016 season, he returned to action on 11th January recording 9 rebounds and 4 assists off the bench in a loss to the Washington Wizards.
• On 14th January, he made just his second start of the season, replacing the injured Pau Gasol however he was subsequently ruled out for four to six months after it was determined that he required surgery to stabilize his left shoulder.

New York Knicks

• Joakim signed a four-year, $72 million contract with his hometown team, the New York Knicks on 8th July 2016 but he was suspended for 20 games without pay on 25th March 2017 for violating the league’s anti-drug policy.
• Later the Knicks activated him on 27th November 2017 and gave him his first playing time since February.
• He appeared in just seven games during the 2017-2018 season, averaging 5.7 minutes off the bench.
• The Knicks released Noah via the stretch-provision waiver on 13th October 2018. Noah, who had $38 million left on his contract, was reluctant to give up any money on the remaining two years of his deal. The delay in waiving him was the Knicks trying to get Noah to give up more money in a buyout.

Memphis Grizzlies

• Joakim signed with the Memphis Grizzlies for the remainder of the season on 4th December 2018 where he had season highs of 19 points and 14 rebounds in a 99-90 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on 9th February 2019.
• He recorded 22 points (with 12 free throws) and 11 rebounds in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on 22nd February 2019.

Los Angeles Clippers

• Noah signed a 10-day contract with the Los Angeles Clippers on 9th March 2020 and signed a multi-year contract on 28th June. In early December 2020, he was waived by the Clippers.
• Later he announced his retirement in March 2021.
• On 28th October 2021, the Chicago Bulls hosted a “Joakim Noah Night” in honor of Noah, where he was named a Bulls Ambassador.

National team career

• Joakim Noah played for the senior French national basketball team and made his first appearance for the senior French national team on 24th  July 2009, in a friendly match against Austria, in which he scored 16 points and grabbed 9 rebounds. He then joined the French team at EuroBasket in 2011.
• He did not join the French Olympic team for the London 2012 Summer Olympics, due to a serious ankle injury that occurred during the 2012 NBA playoffs.

Awards and Achievements

NCAA

• 2006 Associated Press (AP) All-SEC First Team
• Named an Honorable Mention All-American by AP.
• Most Outstanding Player in 2006 Final Four
• NCAA Men’s Division I basketball champion – 2006, 2007

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: 2015

Transfer News

• Los Angeles Clippers on 09/03/2020 for free
• Memphis Grizzlies on 04/12/2018
• No team on 13/10/2018
• New York Knicks on 09/07/2016
• Chicago Bulls on 28/06/2007 Draft round 1, pick 9

Who is Joakim Noah Dating?

Joakim Noah is an unmarried basketballer. He became engaged to Victoria’s Secret model Lais Ribeiro in September 2019 at Burning Man. The couple began dating in July 2018. They are having a blissful life sharing lots of love with each other and they are very less likely to get separated. Hope soonly, the pair will be seen as a husband and wife. Concerning Noah’s sexual orientation, he is straight.

Furthermore, Noah founded the “Noah’s Arc Foundation” to help engage children with positive self-expression through arts and sports in 2010, with his mother. The foundation has a special focus on at-risk youth in Chicago. As a registered United Nations non-governmental organization (NGO), in 2015 the Foundation was granted special consultative status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

How much is Joakim Noah’s Net Worth?

Joakim Noah is a versatile guy who has a net worth of $50 million as of 2021. He earns a fine amount of salary around $13.4 million annually. Noah is living a lavish and luxurious lifestyle with his fabulous wealth. He also has super sports car collections. He has earned his wealth from his career of basketball playing career. He has signed several contracts with different teams, which has helped him earn this much.

What is the Height of Joakim Noah?

Joakim Noah stands at a tall height of 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) with a balanced body weight of 232 lb (105 kg). He has long dark brown hair and eyes color. Noah definitely has emerged as another teen sensation in the scene. In addition, his body build type is athletic.