Joakim Noah was born on February 25, 1985 in New York, New York. Joakim Noah is a 6 ft. 11 in. American basketball player for the Chicago Bulls and who played basketball for the University of Florida in the SEC of the NCAA from 2004-2007. Joakim 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.
Joakim Noah is of Cameroonian, French, and Swedish descent, born to Yannick Noah, a former French professional tennis player and 1983 French Open Champion, and Cécilia Rodhe, Miss Sweden 1978. Joakim Noah competed on basketball teams for several high schools, first at the United Nations International School in New York City, later transferring to Poly Prep in Brooklyn, New York where he was coached by the legendary Bill McNally, and then to Lawrenceville, outside of Princeton, New Jersey. At UNIS Joakim Noah was coached by Alsonso Shockley and Harry Muniz. Joakim Noah reached the championships as the only sophomore on the team. After that he left to Lawrenceville to further his basketball career. At Lawrenceville, Joakim Noah averaged 24.0 points and 12.0 rebounds per game, leading his team to a New Jersey Prep 'A' state title.
During his freshman year at Florida (2004-2005), Joakim Noah played sparingly, clocking in just 10.3 minutes per game, and averaged only 3.9 points and 2.7 rebounds per contest. During his team's two NCAA Tournament games, he played a total of 3 minutes.
During the summer of 2005, Joakim Noah was a key member of the runner-up H3 team at the Entertainers Basketball Classic at Rucker Park.
Joakim Noah exploded 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 constantly. By the end of the NCAA tournament Joakim Noah 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, Joakim Noah, along with teammates Al Horford and Corey Brewer announced at their National Championship celebration that they would return for their junior seasons.
Joakim Noah was the MVP of the NCAA Tournament's Minneapolis Regional after leading the Gators over top-seeded Villanova in the final game with 21 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, Joakim Noah posted 16 points, 9 rebounds, and a championship game record 6 blocks.
Joakim Noah awards and recognitions
- NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player (2006)
- Named an Honorable Mention All-America by the Associated Press.
- A local late night talk show, Late Night Gainesville, started a campaign in June 2006 to rename a major throughway on the campus of the University of Florida to "Joakim Noah Road."
