Joakim Noah Quotes

United States, Basketball Player
February 25, 1985

Joakim Simon Noah (/ˈdʒoʊəkɪm/ JOH-ə-kim; born February 25, 1985) is a professional basketball player. Born in New York City to a Swedish mother and a French father, he holds American, Swedish and French citizenship. He played college basketball for the Florida Gators, winning back-to-back NCAA championships in 2006 and 2007. The Chicago Bulls selected Noah with the ninth overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft. Noah is a two-time NBA All-Star and was named to the All-NBA First Team in 2014 when he also was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

I go back to Africa every year. I have a home there. You know, my grandfather lives back there in Cameroon.

Joakim Noah
- Home
Throughout my journey in basketball, I always have someone to talk to in my father. I know how hard he had to work as an athlete.

Joakim Noah
- Work
- Father
- Journey

Uh? They don't like me over here, either.

Joakim Noah
- Like
- Here
- Don't Like
It's really important to have balance, spend some time in nature, go to a few parties, enjoy my friends and really chill out.

Joakim Noah
- Time
- Important
- Friends
I always give respect to and pay homage to New York, because I don't feel like I would be the player that I am today if it wasn't for New York City. It gives you a certain edge, a certain toughness just growing up in the city.

Joakim Noah
- Up
- Today
- Growing
Art is interesting because there can be so many different perspectives in a piece of art. The way I see it may be completely different than the way somebody else sees it. It's interesting to hear what somebody sees in a piece of art compared to somebody else. It could be completely different, and that's interesting to me.

Joakim Noah
- Different
- Art
- May
All my best friends live downtown in New York City. I was made in Soho.

Joakim Noah
- Live
- Friends
- City
I learned a lot from my father. I'm very lucky to have a father who was a professional athlete.

Joakim Noah

I don't know about this place, man. I just stayed in my hotel room, man. Every time I look out my window, it's pretty depressing out here, man. It's bad, it's bad. No. No going out in Cleveland, man. It's all factories.

Joakim Noah
- Time
- Bad
- Pretty
I would go on summer vacations visiting family all over the world.

Joakim Noah
- World
- Family
- Summer
Being from New York, everybody's a point guard. Even when you play in the park, you've got to know how to handle the ball. If you can't handle the ball, you can't really play.

Joakim Noah
I feel like when I play, I play tough. That's the New York in me. That's the street tournaments.

Joakim Noah
Not at all. You like it? Do you think Cleveland's cool? I mean, I've never heard anybody say 'I'm going to Cleveland on vacation.' What's so good about Cleveland?

Joakim Noah
- Good
- Cool
- Vacation