Childhood & Early Life
Joakim Noah was born on February 25, 1985, in New York City, to Yannick Noah and his first wife, Cécilia Rodhe. His father is a pop singer and a former world no. 3 tennis player. His mother, now a sculptor, is a former model who became ‘Miss Sweden’ in 1978 and secured the fifth place in the 1978 ‘Miss Universe’ pageant. His grandfather, Zacharie Noah, was a professional football player from Cameroon, who won the ‘Coupe de France’ in 1961.
From 1988 to 1998, Noah lived in Paris. He returned to New York City at the age of 13. During his childhood, he attended The ‘United Nations International School’ (UNIS) in New York City, the ‘Poly Prep Country Day School’ in Brooklyn, and ‘The Lawrenceville School’ in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, playing high-school basketball for all three schools.
In 2004, Noah was granted an athletic scholarship, which helped him get enrolled at the ‘University of Florida,’ where he continued as a student till 2007.
Continue Reading Below
Career
Throughout his university days (2004–2007), Noah played for the ‘Florida Gators,’ a men's basketball team, under the guidance of coach Billy Donovan. He succeeded in becoming a member of Donovan's 2004 recruiting class, a set of players that incorporated four freshmen. He played 9.4 minutes per game and scored an average of 3.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game during this time.
He was scheduled as the power forward but was shifted to the center to substitute his teammate Al Horford during his sophomore year. In this position, he continued to lead his team in points and blocks. His projected draft position also improved during this time. As a result, he was declared the ‘Most Outstanding Player’ (MOP). Under his leadership, the ‘Gators’ won the ‘NCAA’ championships in 2006 and 2007.
In the 2007 ‘NBA Draft,’ Noah was selected as the ninth overall pick by the ‘Chicago Bulls.’ The same year, Noah and his two teammates at ‘Florida,’ Corey Brewer and Al Horford, were declared the highest-picked players from a college in the history of the ‘NBA.’
In 2009, Noah took a major part in the sixth game of the ‘Eastern Conference’ first-round challenge series between the ‘Chicago Bulls’ and the ‘Boston Celtics.’ The ‘Bulls’ went on to win the game 128–127, while finally losing the series in the seventh game. During the 2008–2009 season, Noah achieved an average of 6.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.
The next season, Noah succeeded in averaging 10.7 points and 11.0 rebounds per game. However, he could play in only 64 games due to his injuries. This time, The ‘Bulls’ lost to the ‘Cleveland Cavaliers’ in the playoffs, despite Noah’s average of 14.8 points per game and 13.0 rebounds. Near the end of this season, on October 4, 2010, Noah signed a $60-million agreement expansion with the ‘Bulls’ that was valid for 5 years.
The first triple-double in Noah’s career was recorded in 2012, when he achieved 13 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists in a game against the ‘Milwaukee Bucks.’ The next season, he scored 30 points and 23 rebounds in a triumph against the ‘Detroit Pistons.’
After securing his third career triple-double on February 28, 2013, against the ‘Philadelphia 76ers,’ Noah joined the team of the only players to achieve a triple-double of 20-20-10. He became the only player to have achieved this success while shooting 65% from the field.
The fourth career triple-double of his career was recorded on February 11, 2014, when he secured a 100–85 win against the ‘Atlanta Hawks.’ On February 19 that year, he was responsible for 13 assists in a 94–92 road win against the ‘Toronto Raptors.’ The same year, on March 2, his fifth career triple-double was recorded as he helped his team win against the ‘New York Knicks,’ with 13 points, 12 rebounds, and 14 assists.
The 2014–2015 and the 2015–2016 seasons were not too profitable for him, as it was during this time that he scored his lowest averages and lost most of the games. Additionally, he suffered from a string of injuries, too.
Continue Reading Below
A 4-year $72-million contract was signed between Noah and his hometown team, the ‘New York Knicks,’ on July 8, 2016. Labeled as “disastrous” from the very beginning, the contract did not turn out to be too profitable for him. During this time, he underwent a suspension from 20 games. He was also plagued with countless injuries and surgeries.
He signed a contract for the rest of the season with the ‘Memphis Grizzlies’ on December 4, 2018.
On July 24, 2009, he played for the senior French national team in a friendly match against Austria and scored 16 points and 9 rebounds there. He also joined the French team at the ‘EuroBasket 2011.’
Awards & Achievements
Noah was considered to be a four-star recruit by ‘Rivals.com’ during his college days
In 2004, he ranked 19th as a power forward and was declared the no. 75 player in the nation
In 2006, the ‘Associated Press’ featured him on the ‘All-SEC First Team’ and named him an ‘Honorable Mention All-American.’
He was declared the ‘Most Outstanding Player’ in the 2006 ‘Final Four.’
He became the ‘NCAA Men's Division I’ basketball champion twice, once each in 2006 and 2007
He was named to the ‘NBA All-Defensive Second Team’ in 2011
Continue Reading Below
He was named to the ‘NBA All-Star’ team twice, once each in 2013 and 2014
He was named to the ‘NBA All-Defensive First Team’ twice, once each in 2013 and 2014
In 2014, he was declared the ‘NBA Defensive Player of the Year’ and was named to the ‘All-NBA First Team.’
In 2015, he received the ‘J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award.’
Family & Personal Life
Noah was arrested for misdemeanor after being caught carrying an open can of alcohol and possessing marijuana in Gainesville, Florida on May 25, 2008. He was also sentenced for carrying an annulled license while driving and not having his seat belts tied in the same incident. He had to face a 6-month probation, a fine of $200 for carrying the addictive substances, and a fine of $206 for violating traffic rules.
In 2010, Noah partnered with his mother, a renowned sculptor, to establish the ‘Noah's Arc Foundation,’ an institute geared toward helping the youth indulge in arts and sports.
