Joakim Noah
 |
|
| No. 13 Chicago Bulls | |
|---|---|
| Center | |
| Personal information | |
| Date of birth | February 25, 1985 |
| Place of birth | New York City, U.S. |
| Nationality | American French Swedish |
| High school | Poly Prep, Brooklyn, NY The Lawrenceville School, Lawrenceville, New Jersey |
| Listed height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
| Listed weight | 232 lb (105 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Florida |
| NBA Draft | 2007 / Round: 1 / Pick: 9 |
| Selected by the Chicago Bulls | |
| Pro career | 2007–present |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| 2006 Tournament MOP[1] 2006 AP All-SEC[2] 2007 AP All-American 2nd Team |
|
| Joakim Noah at NBA.com | |
Joakim Simon Noah[3] (pronounced /ˈdʒoʊ.əkɪm/;[4] born February 25, 1985) is a French/Swedish-American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls.[5][6] He played collegiate basketball for the University of Florida from 2004-2007. Noah was a member of the Gators' teams that won the 2006 and 2007 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournaments. On June 28, 2007, Noah was taken 9th overall in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls.
Contents |
Early life
Noah was born in New York City, of French, Swedish, and Cameroonian descent. He was born February 25, 1985 to French singer and former tennis player Yannick Noah, and Cécilia Rhode, Miss Sweden 1978. In addition, his paternal grandfather Zacharie Noah was a Cameroonian professional soccer player, winner of the Coupe de France in 1961. Noah calls himself "the African Viking."[7]
He competed on basketball teams for several high schools, first at the United Nations International School (UNIS) in New York City. At UNIS he was coached by Alsonso Shockley, Harry Muniz and David Gartrelle. He reached the championships as the only sophomore on the team. He also played in streetball tournaments and his nickname was "The Noble One" because someone heard that his dad was a pro tennis player. He later transferred to Poly Prep in Brooklyn, New York, where he was coached by Bill McNally, and then to The Lawrenceville School, outside of Princeton, New Jersey.
College career
During his freshman year at Florida (2004–2005), he played sparingly, clocking in just 10.3 minutes per game, and averaged only 3.9 points and 2.7 rebounds per contest.
Noah made significant improvement in his sophomore year (2005–2006), leading his team in points (14.2 ppg) and blocks (2.4 bpg), while ranking second in rebounds (7.1 rpg) behind teammate Al Horford (7.6 rpg). Almost unknown at the beginning of the season, Noah's draft stock improved continually. By the end of the NCAA tournament he was considered by many to be the top college prospect in the country, and had he declared for the 2006 NBA Draft he very likely would have been taken first or second. However, Noah, along with teammates Al Horford and Corey Brewer announced at their national championship celebration that they would return for their junior seasons.[2] Noah and the Gators would go on to repeat as champions.
2006 NCAA Tournament
Noah was named the Most Outstanding Player (MOP)[1] 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. On April 3, 2006, Noah led the Gators to a 73-57 win over UCLA for the school's first NCAA Basketball Championship, and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. In the finale, he posted 16 points, 9 rebounds, and a championship game record 6 blocks.[1]
Professional career
Early career
The Chicago Bulls selected Noah as the ninth overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. Noah 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. Horford was chosen third overall by the Atlanta Hawks, and Brewer was chosen seventh overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves. On November 6, 2007, Noah made his regular season debut off the bench after missing the first three games with a sprained ankle. He posted 2 points and 4 rebounds. Noah averaged 6.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game during the 2008-09 regular season.
Noah 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 (unusual for a center) for a dunk, drawing Pierce's sixth foul in the process. The Bulls went on to win the game 128-127,[8] though they would lose the series in Game 7.
2009-10 season
During the 2009-10 season, Noah averaged 10.7 points per game 11.0 rebounds per game. He only played 64 games due to injury, though. The Bulls once again made the playoffs securing the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference. In the playoffs, 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.
Personal life
Though Noah could be eligible for international competitions such as the Olympics or World Basketball Championships by playing with the French, American, Cameroonian or Swedish team, he has decided to play for France. "The French National team is definitely something that has been in my dreams for a while."[9] He was officially made a French citizen on April 11, 2007.[10] Noah is fluent in French[11] and Swedish.[12]
On May 25, 2008, Noah was arrested for having an open container of alcohol and misdemeanor possession of marijuana in Gainesville, Florida. A few hours later, Noah was also cited for driving with a suspended license and not wearing a seat belt. He was sentenced to six months probation, a $200 fine for the marijuana and open container charges, and a $206 traffic fine.[13]
Noah divides his time between Chicago and Florida during the off-season.
Noah, along with Bulls teammate Luol Deng support the Barclays Premier League team Arsenal F.C..[14]
Awards
- 2006 Associated Press (AP) All-SEC First Team[2]
- Named an Honorable Mention All-American by AP.
- Most Outstanding Player in the 2006 Final Four[15]
- NCAA Men's Division 1 basketball champion - 2006,2007
Sponsorship
Joakim Noah is sponsored by Le Coq Sportif and currently wears their basketball shoes.
NBA 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 |
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 | .000 | .744 | 11.0 | 2.1 | .5 | 1.6 | 10.7 |
| Career | 218 | 140 | 24.8 | .513 | .000 | .706 | 7.9 | 1.5 | .7 | 1.3 | 7.9 |
As of April 14, 2010
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | Chicago | 7 | 7 | 38.7 | .510 | .000 | .760 | 13.1 | 2.3 | .9 | 2.1 | 10.1 |
| 2009–10 | Chicago | 5 | 5 | 36.6 | .528 | .000 | .947 | 13.0 | 2.6 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 14.8 |
| Career | 12 | 12 | 37.8 | .519 | .000 | .841 | 13.1 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 12.1 |
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Florida... brings home NCAA title". NCAASports.com. http://www.ncaasports.com/basketball/mens/gamecenter/recap/NCAAB_20060403_FL@UCLA. Retrieved 2007-02-13.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Newberry, Paul (2006-03-15). "Tide's Steele selected to '06 All-SEC team". DecaturDaily.com. http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/sports/060315/steele.shtml. Retrieved 2007-03-08.
- ↑ "NBA.com Joakim Noah Draft 2007 Profile". NBA.com. http://www.nba.com/draft2007/profiles/JoakimNoah.html. Retrieved 2008-07-04.
- ↑ Brady, Erik (2004-03-22). "Star high school athlete becomes his own man". USA TODAY. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-03-22-noah-basketball_x.htm. Retrieved 2007-02-27.
- ↑ Joakim Noah: "Je soutiens Barack Obama" - Sports, NBA, Joakim Noah, JDD - Toute l'actu sur Lejdd.fr
- ↑ NBA-debut för Joakim Noah i natt
- ↑ CAMLIONS: Lions indomptables du cameroun : Football, Volleyball, Handball, Athletisme,Basketball, etc...<
- ↑ Bulls hang on 128-127 to force Game 7 in Boston.
- ↑ Givony, Jonathanl (2007-05-21). "Joakim Noah: "I don't feel like there is another player like me"". DraftExpress.com. http://www.draftexpress.com/viewarticle.php?a=2062. Retrieved 2007-06-29.
- ↑ FIBA: Noah cleared to play for France
- ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZfJCjOdk2I&feature=related
- ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyRwB_7wqxQ
- ↑ "Chicago Bulls player Noah gets fined for marijuana". Reuters. May 29, 2008. http://www.reuters.com/article/sportsNews/idUSN2925508720080529.
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ Noah is MOP of Final Four
External links
| Preceded by Sean May |
NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player (men's) 2006 |
Succeeded by Corey Brewer |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||
|
|||||
|
|||||
|
|||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||