INDIANAPOLIS, USA, Feb 25 – When Joakim Noah first visited Senegal, he was stunned by the level of enthusiasm and solidarity with which Africans supported each other in the FIFA World Cup.
The idea by Senegalese fans to root for their North Africans match adversaries in Qatar was a truly surreal experience for Joakim who believes that the continent’s premier men’s league- Basketball Africa League (BAL)- will go places with the same amount of positive energy.
“When Morocco went to third place play-off in the World Cup, I was following the proceedings in Senegal. Everybody in Senegal was so happy for Morocco. But if Argentina wins, no Brazilian is happy. You have to be proud of your roots; seeing the young men getting better and better in sport, Africa has a brighter future in basketball,” Noah expounded.
The Basketball Africa League is headed down South from March 9 – 17 at the SunBet arena in Pretoria and Noah is overly excited with the progress made, by and large.
The Season will tip-off with First-Ever BAL Game in South Africa featuring 2022 Runner-Up Petro de Luanda (Angola) taking on first-time BAL participant FUS Rabat Basketball (Morocco) at SunBet Arena in Pretoria at 4:00 p.m. CAT.
“It’s great to see BAL grow in other countries. It’s something that’s special, I am proud to be a part of it, traversing the continent. I have never been to South Africa, so, I’m excited to go explore, and you know, it’s very inspiring for the next generation. Just being able to learn a new culture is out of this world,” Noah told Capital Sport on the sidelines of 2024 NBA All-Star Game.
Noah was among dignitaries who graced the 2024 NBA Africa All-Star Luncheon in Indianapolis, USA that also featured Kenyan film maker Becky Muikia whose movie titled “Jumping for Change” premiered.
Asked whether African players should explore other continents or keep it Africa, Noah continued: “I think every individual has a decision to make and has the opportunity to have a choice. With the platform this league is giving, it’s an opportunity for the professional players to go places.”
The Chicago Bulls selected, Noah with the ninth overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft, has African roots, with his grandfather coming from Cameroon was a professional footballer.
His talent was no doubt as he comes from a sporting family where his father is a former world No. 3 tennis player and winner of the French Open in 1983.
Born in New York, Noah was a member of the French national team and played college basketball for the Florida Gators, winning back-to-back NCAA championships in 2006 and 2007.
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.
–First All-Star selection (2012–2013)—
On December 7, 2012, Noah recorded his career highs of 30 points and 23 rebounds in a win against the Detroit Pistons. On December 18, 2012, he recorded his second ever triple-double, scoring 11 points, grabbing 13 rebounds and providing a career-high-tying 10 assists, in a 100–89 victory over the Boston Celtics
On January 24, 2013, Noah was named as a reserve in the 2013 NBA All-Star Game, representing the Chicago Bulls alongside teammate Luol Deng.
He became the Bulls’ first All-Star center since Artis Gilmore in 1982. He played 16 minutes in the game, scoring 8 points and collecting 10 rebounds in the East’s loss.
On February 28, 2013, Noah recorded his third career triple-double, scoring 23 points, collecting 21 rebounds and blocking a career-high 11 shots in Chicago’s 93–82 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
In doing so, Noah both tied a franchise record for blocks in a regular season game set by Gilmore on December 20, 1977, and joined Hakeem Olajuwon, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shawn Bradley, Shaquille O’Neal, and Elvin Hayes as the only players to record a triple-double of 20-20-10 in points, rebounds, and blocks since blocks began being recorded, and the only player among them to do so while shooting 65 percent from the field.
-Alex Isaboke is reporting from Indianapolis, USA-
