Joakim Noah, who played 13 seasons in the NBA, will reportedly be effectively retiring from basketball, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. Noah, however, still plans to eventually retire with the Chicago Bulls, where he spent most of his NBA career and played his best years.
13-year NBA center Joakim Noah — a two-time All-Star and former Defensive Player of the Year winner — is effectively retiring from basketball, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
Plan is for the longtime Chicago star to eventually retire as a Bull.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 1, 2021
Aside from the Bulls, the 36-year-old also played for the New York Knicks, Memphis Grizzlies, and the Los Angeles Clippers. He was given a 10-day contract by the Clippers last season but was waived by the team in December.
Noah spent his first nine seasons with the Bulls, where he made a name as one of the league’s best defenders. Aside from being a two-time All-Star, he was also a one-time member of the All-NBA First Team, and a Defensive Player of the Year back in 2014, and was selected to the All-Defensive First Team twice and once in the All-Defensive Second Team.
Injuries, however, later slowed down the two-time NCAA champion with the Florida Gators and limited his time on the court in recent years.
Under head coach Tom Thibodeau, Noah was part of the Bulls team that was among the best teams in the Eastern Conference along with Derrick Rose, Carlos Boozer, and Luol Deng. In the 2010-2011 season, the team won 62 games and reached the Eastern Conference Finals, and became a perennial playoff contender in the following years.
His best season in Chicago came in 2013-2014, when he averaged a career-high 12.6 points, 11.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.5 blocks. During that year, Noah was named to the All-NBA First Team and was awarded as the Defensive Player of the Year.
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