Joakim Simon Noah, a retired professional basketball player, was a member of numerous prominent teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was also a part of the French National Team and won back-to-back NCAA championships in 2006 and 2007 with the Florida Gators’ college team.
Joakim Noah’s Childhood & Education
On February 25, 1985, Joakim Noah was born in New York City to Yannick Noah and his first wife, Cécilia Rodhe. Yannick Noah is a former professional tennis player ranked third in the world and a pop singer. His mother, Cécilia, was a model and crowned ‘Miss Sweden’ in 1978, also placing fifth in the ‘Miss Universe’ pageant that year. She is now a sculptor.
Zacharie Noah, his grandfather, was a successful football player from Cameroon who achieved victory in the ‘Coupe de France’ in 1961.
Joakim Noah resided in Paris from 1988 to 1998 before moving back to New York City when he was 13 years old. Throughout his youth, he was enrolled in three different schools, namely 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. During this time, he also played basketball for all three schools.
Noah received an athletic scholarship in 2004 that enabled him to attend the ‘University of Florida’ until 2007. During this time, he remained a student at the university.
Career
From 2004 to 2007, Joakim Noah was a member of the Florida Gators men’s basketball team while he was in university. Under the leadership of coach Billy Donovan, he was selected to join Donovan’s 2004 recruitment group, which consisted of four freshmen. During his time on the team, he played an average of 9.4 minutes per game and scored an average of 3.5 points and 2.5 rebounds.
During his second year, he was originally set to play as the power forward but was instead moved to the center position to fill in for his teammate Al Horford. Despite this change, he maintained his role as the top scorer and blocker for his team.
This also led to an increase in his projected draft ranking. As a result of his impressive performance, he was awarded the title of ‘Most Outstanding Player’. With him at the helm, the ‘Gators’ were victorious in the NCAA championships in both 2006 and 2007.
During the 2007 ‘NBA Draft,’ the ‘Chicago Bulls‘ chose Noah as their ninth overall pick. He and his two fellow ‘Florida’ teammates, Corey Brewer and Al Horford, also made history by being the highest-selected players from a college in the ‘NBA.’
Joakim Noah played a significant role in the sixth match of the Eastern Conference first-round playoffs between the ‘Chicago Bulls’ and the Boston Celtics in 2009. The Bulls emerged victorious with a score of 128-127 but ultimately lost the series in the seventh game. Throughout the 2008-2009 season, Noah maintained an average of 6.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.
Noah became part of an elite group on February 28, 2013, when he recorded his third triple-double against the ‘Philadelphia 76ers.’ He joined the ranks of the few players who have achieved a 20-20-10 triple-double and was the only one to do so while shooting at an impressive 65% from the field.
During the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 seasons, he did not fare well financially due to his low scoring averages and numerous losses. Furthermore, he was plagued by a series of injuries during this period.
On July 8, 2016, Joakim Noah and the ‘New York Knicks,’ his hometown team, agreed to a 4-year deal worth $72 million. Despite initial high hopes, the contract proved to be a disappointment for Noah. He faced a 20-game suspension and numerous injuries and surgeries during this period.
On December 4, 2018, he entered into a contract for the remainder of the season with the ‘Memphis Grizzlies’.
In a friendly game against Austria on July 24, 2009, he earned 16 points and 9 rebounds while playing for the senior French national team. He later participated in the ‘EuroBasket 2011’ as a member of the French team.
Personal Life
On May 25, 2008, Joakim Noah was taken into custody for a misdemeanor in Gainesville, Florida. This was due to being caught with an open can of alcohol and having marijuana in his possession. Additionally, he was found guilty of driving with a revoked license and not wearing a seat belt during the same occurrence.
He was subjected to a 6-month probation period and was fined $200 for possessing addictive substances, as well as an additional $206 for breaking traffic laws.
In 2010, Joakim Noah and his mother, a well-known sculptor, joined forces to create the ‘Noah’s Arc Foundation,’ an organization focused on providing opportunities for young people to engage in the arts and sports.
In July 2018, Noah and Brazilian model Lais Ribeiro started a romantic relationship. One year later, in September 2019, they got engaged at Burning Man. Their wedding took place on July 13, 2022, in Trancoso, Brazil, Ribeiro’s home country.
Net Worth
With a net worth of $50 million, Joakim Noah is a retired basketball player who primarily played for the Chicago Bulls throughout his NBA career. He later played for the New York Knicks and Memphis Grizzlies after departing from the Bulls in 2016.
